The purpose behind this is to make the name on the chart match exactly the name in onboard navigators (IFR GPS's FMC's etc). Most of the old approach names were too long to fit in the required space reserved for approach names in IFR GPS's so in the GPS's they had to be abbreviated. As the two were different it was deemed to be a source of confusion.
Now the approach name on a chart will match exactly the approach name in a GPS.
Bevan..