Around the third week of a college class, a professor decides she’s had enough, is tired of dealing with bureaucracies, and wants out. so one day, instead of coming to class, she flies to tahiti and sells souvenirs on the beach. if this happened, the college would simply assign a substitute to finish the course. what does this tell you about the nature of the authority wielded by a professor?

It is a "legal-rational authority".

Legal-rational authority is one that is based on plainly characterized laws. The submission of individuals do not depend on the limit of any pioneer however on the authenticity and capability that methodology and laws offer to people in authority. Contemporary society relies upon this kind of rationalization, as the complexities of its issues require the development of an administration that typifies order and systematization.

answer; quantitative versus qualitative research;