In an era of email, the internet and
electronic commerce, it’s hard to believe that a major Australian media
company would revert to generating paperwork that can only be handled
by snail mail – but that’s what Fairfax is doing with its newspaper
contributors.

Instead of sending in invoices, they have been
told (by email) that they will in future receive, via email, a purchase
order. This will have to be filled in, printed off and sent by snail
mail to the Fairfax offices in Sydney. A note to contributors reveals
the driving force. It’s a “new process” that’s “designed to improve the
efficiency of commissioning approval and invoice payment.”

Only at Fairfax in the year 2005.