I have a deep suspicion that this particular cock-up, and others like it, can be at least partly blamed on the modern cult of 'professionalism'. You see, at one time, most people had a 'job' whilst a few, eg. doctors, solicitors etc., were 'professionals'. Now everyone is a 'professional' - apart, that is, from the dwindling band of lowly, poorly paid gofers and scapegoats who actually perform real tasks.

Your modern 'professional' may have a 'job description' but is mainly committed to developing his/her 'career'. This involves spending a lot of time in meetings, getting noticed, spouting meaningless but trendy jargon, scoring points off other 'professionals' and trying to divine the meaning of the utterances of the 'Great Man' (ie. The Boss) - so that He can be 'sucked up to' before anyone else can divine His meaning and suck up to Him.

'Professionals' (in the modern sense) have no sense of proportion, so that simple tasks are grossly over-complicated and complicated tasks are grossly over-simplified. Both approaches are likely to get the 'professional' noticed - and if things go wrong there is always the dwindling band of 'gofers' to blame. And if all that fails there is always 'Health and Safety' and various forms of political correctness to fall back on (notice how these worthy causes now seem to be a refuge for power-mad but incompetent mountebanks and scounderels).

Finally, the 'professional' has a lot of responsibility for budgets - and the easiest way to manage a budget, and get yourself noticed at the same time, is to make cuts. Implementing cuts makes you look ruthless and efficient - even though cuts may not be appropriate and may damage the organisation (not to mention the work force and the customer) in the long-term.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that the modern, toxic form of 'professionalism' is behind the loss of these discs.