McDonaldization Fundamentals (Ritzer)
Which classical German sociologist developed the theory of rationalization and the "iron cage" that inspired George Ritzer’s work?
Max Weber
According to David Hartley, the decline of which post-war state model triggered marketization in British higher education?
The Welfare State
What sociological concept combines the acts of production and consumption into a single interrelated process?
Prosumption (or Prosumer Capitalism).
Which international financial institution strongly recommended that Bangladesh cut public subsidies and expand private higher education
The World Bank.
What is the administrative reform framework called that introduced corporate accountability and metrics to Indonesian universities?
New Public Management (NPM)
Name the four core dimensions of McDonaldization formulated by George Ritzer.
Efficiency, Calculability, Predictability, and Control (through non-human technology)
How does Hartley interpret "learner-centred pedagogy" from the perspective of institutional cost-cutting?
It co-opts the student as an unpaid co-producer of education (self-teaching, self-assessing), reducing the need for costly academic labor
Which two digital platforms does Ritzer use to illustrate how corporate wealth is built on the unpaid labor of prosumers?
Facebook and Amazon
Who are the "Rickshaw Faculty" in urban Bangladesh?
Underpaid, contingent adjunct lecturers who commute between 3–4 private universities a day on rickshaws without time for research or students
What are the three core statutory pillars of higher education in Indonesia (Tri Darma Perguruan Tinggi) measured by the SKS system?
Teaching, Research, and Community Service.
What term describes the paradoxical outcome where hyper-rationalized systems lead to inefficiency, dehumanization, and lower actual quality?
The Irrationality of Rationality
What does Hartley mean by the managerial tactic of "fake fraternisation"?
Flattering educators’ professionalism and autonomy to soften them up while enforcing strict external accountability and bureaucratic control.
What are "prosuming machines", according to Ritzer?
Automated, non-human technologies (e.g., algorithms, AI, blockchain) that produce and consume data simultaneously without human intervention.
What condition defines "Zombie Graduates" in Bangladeshi private universities?
"Philosophical poverty"—an inability to think critically, read deeply, or challenge dominant corporate structures.
Which economic rule states that "when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure", cited regarding Indonesian university audit culture?
Goodhart's Law.
Ritzer defines three metaphors of cages: iron, rubber, and velvet. Why is education increasingly described as a "velvet cage"?
Because students and staff find its predictability comfortable, soft, and easy, voluntarily choosing to stay within it
Which 18th-century philosopher's concept of the "Panopticon" does Hartley connect to modern university surveillance, league tables, and audits?
Jeremy Bentham
Why does Ritzer criticize MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) from a pedagogical perspective?
Teachers cannot "consume" or read the physical reactions, confusion, or emotional engagement of their audience.
How does Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus manifest among elite private university students in Dhaka?
Through westernized consumption (eating burgers, speaking English, designer attire) as status symbols to reproduce social dominance over public university peers.
What major structural disadvantage did female academics face under quantitative research KPIs in Indonesia?
Gender role conflicts and the "second shift" of domestic/childcare responsibilities that limit time for research writing
In Ritzer’s The Globalization of Nothing, what does "nothing" refer to in the context of standardized degrees?
Social forms that are centrally conceived, centrally controlled, and completely lack distinctive, local content
Explain Charles Jencks’ concept of "double-coding" as applied to higher education policy by Hartley
The coexistence of rigid modernist bureaucratic control from the top with a postmodern facade of individual flexibility, choice, and diversity for students.
What does Ritzer mean when he labels modern universities "Cathedrals of Consumption"?
Campuses built with grand entertainment facilities, food courts, and athletics designed to seduce students into unthinking hyper-consumption
What do Husain and Osswald mean by "White Men's Germ on Brown Men's Body" and "Betrayal by the Intellectuals"?
Local elites adopting Western neoliberal market reforms purely for personal profit, neglecting social equity and the quality of domestic education.
Why did some Indonesian academics actually welcome the implementation of calculable Performance Indicators (PIs)?
As an enforcing stick against chronic absenteeism/low work commitment, and as an avenue to supplement low base salaries through performance incentives.