For example, in my business (selling open-source oscilloscopes, mostly direct to public but sometimes to universities or retailers), I found that offering a broad array of payment options and proper invoicing was more important than bulk discounts.
The employees I'd talk to weren't trying to optimally allocate their employer's resources, but minimise the fucking around required to get the purchase signed off on (or, in a few cases, get those sweet, sweet Amex points).
It's true, too. The only people with a real interest in the profitability are those with significant equity and even those will balance the profit motive with their other interests. But most employees don't have significant equity in the company they work for and by the very nature of a company most low-level decisions will be made by regular employees. Profit is a secondary concern among many that you can use to increase your leverage (ie, sometimes being involved with a very profitable new project can be leveraged into promotion). As Dr. Ackoff says in the linked article, paying lip service to company profits is just the cost employees must pay in order to maximize their rewards.