ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the strong attachment to university rankings both in the context of the Australian university system and through the experiences of one institution Griffith University. It provides a frank assessment of the impact of adopting rankings as an integral part of an institutional strategic narrative. According to Nelson, the sector's defining features are: It is predominately public and relatively homogeneous; and there is no formal stratification. The pragmatism, therefore, is borne out of a system that perceives higher education as both a social good and as a tradable commodity. Griffith University has an International reputation in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, with a range of well-regarded programs in law and criminology, political science and international relations, business, and psychology. The university also uses benchmarking data provided by rankers, including the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) Global Research University Profile (GRUP), to inform strategic decisions.
