Final answer:
The correct answer is (b) impersonality, which is a key characteristic of Weber's ideal bureaucracy that aims to remove personal feelings from professional situations to avoid favoritism and ensure fairness.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked which characteristic is one of the characteristics of Weber's ideal bureaucracy. According to Max Weber, an ideal bureaucracy is characterized by a clear hierarchy of authority, explicit rules, division of labor, and impersonality. Impersonality here means that personal feelings and relations should not influence professional decisions, thus avoiding nepotism and favoritism. The main answer to the question is (b) Impersonality, which aligns with Weber's view on bureaucracy as it aims to protect organizations and their clientele by ensuring that decisions and treatment of individuals are not influenced by personal relationships or emotions. This allows for fair and systematic treatment of customers, but can often result in complaints about the organization seeming uncaring or detached.