LinkedIn Company Background
● Founded by Reid Hoffman in 2003, with a team from SocialNet and Paypal
● LinkedIn is a social networking site designed for the business community
● Initial membership is free of charge, but has tiered premium subscription options
● Current membership: 400 million users (2 views per second), across 200 countries, 56% men, 44% women
Sources: LinkedIn, 2015, WhatI.com, nd, DMR, 2015.
LinkedIn’s Business Revenue
● LinkedIn Business for business users
● LinkedIn Talent for recruiters● LinkedIn Job Seeker for jobs● LinkedIn Sales for sales
professionals
Sources: Business Insider, 2011.
Selected LinkedIn Decision Flow Diagram.
● How does data flow through LinkedIn?
● Advantages and Disadvantages of a DFD
● How does it help LinkedIn to make decisions.
Customer
LinkedIn Marketing Sales Team
Talent Acquisitions Team
Admin
Computer Interviewer
Yes No
ConnectorDe
tails
pas
sed
on to
in
terv
iew
er
Pass details on
Feed
back
Decision made
Mandate Approach
Project details
Connector Details
Link
edIn
Tal
ent D
esig
n De
cisi
on F
low
Dia
gram
Sources: Coventry, 5:1, Creately, 2016, Donald S Le Vie, nd, Advanced Performance Institute, nd.
What are information systems?
● Information System (IS) is a system composed of people and computers that processes or interprets information
● Big Data is defined as extremely large data sets that may be analysed mathematically to reveal trends, and associations
● Will reveal patterns and trends especially relating to human behaviour and interactions
● Cloud has enabled LinkedIn to become, flexible, agile, reliable
● High speed website for professionals
Transaction processing
Operational level
Tactical level
Strategic levelCompetitor analysis
Cash flow forecast
Subscription invoices
Executive information systems
Decision support systems
Information reporting systems
Office automation system
process control systems
transaction processing systems
Sources: Wikipedia, 2016, CUC, 4:2, GIGAOM, 2013, Diffen, 2013.
Membership data applications
● Premium subscription, marketing and talent solutions analytics:
● Matches advertisers and talent scouts to profiles of connectors
● How is the data used to help the marketing, recruitment and subscription revenues?
● Limitations of data
Sources: LinkedIn, 2016.
Legal ramifications of holding and using data
● What is Cloud Computing and why has LinkedIn chosen to use it?
● Security issues with cloud● Legal ramifications
Sources: Government Technology, 2014, Cloud Security Alliance, 2010.
Selected decision making models
Quantitative approaches
● Risk-reward
Qualitative approaches
● Stimulus response● Thought experiments
Business as usual
Increase website adverts
Focus on talent solutions Focus on social
Low Risk High Risk
Low Return
High Return
Sources: Coventry, 2:1
Reid Hoffman’s Two Rules for Strategy Decisions - Series B Pitch Deck
Speed
● ‘As a factor for which option is best-to speed up the process of making the decision itself’.
● ‘The key for big companies like LinkedIn is not to pursue strategies where “being faster” is critical.’
Simplicity - Enables Speed
● ‘Making the complex simple does not mean ignoring complexity’.
● ‘Wrestle with complexity yes, but frame and commit to a decision that’s simple enough for everyone to understand and act on.’
Burns and Stalker Organic model, Quantitative and Qualitative models and Mcgregor's X, Y theory models used.
Sources: Harvard Business Review, 2015
Selected managerial schools of thought
Scientific
F.W Taylor, 19th century: Standardised procedures, the functions of production and methods used
Bureaucratic
Max Weber, Clear hierarchies, managers put in place procedures to make flow of information for more reasonable (in a pre-computer age)
Porter’s Five Forces
Porter's five forces is based on the Structure-Conduct-Performance paradigm in industrial organizational economics.
Sources: Coventry, 2:1, Wikipedia, 2016.
Reference
Advanced Performance Institute, nd. What is Business Intelligence? [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/embed/KpYw0xHancY?rel=0&wmode=transparent> [Accessed 8 February 2016].
Business Insider, 2011. Chart of the Day: Where LinkedIn’s Revenue Comes From. [online]. Available at: <www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-where-linkedins-revenue-comes-from-2011-5?IR=T> [Accessed 9 February 2016].
Cloud Security Alliance, 2010. Top Threats to Cloud Computing V1.0. [pdf] Available at: <https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/topthreats/csathreats.v1.0.pdf> [Accessed 6 February 2016].
Coventry 5:1. Data Flow Diagramming.
Coventry University Module 2:1 Schools of Management Thinking
Creately, 2016.Flowcharts for Strategic Decision Making. [onlne] Available at: <http://creately.com/diagram-type/usage/decision-making-made-easy-creately> [Accessed 10 February 2016].
Diffen, 2013. Facebook Vs LinkedIn [online] Available at: <http://www.diffen.com/difference/Facebook_vs_LinkedIn>[Accessed 11 February 2016].
Reference
DMR, 2015. By the Numbers:125+ Amazing LinkedIn Statistics. [online] Available at: <http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/by-the-numbers-a-few-important-linkedin-stats/> [Accessed 6 February 2016].
Donald S. Le Vie, nd. Understanding Data Flow Diagrams. [pdf] Available at: <http://ratandon.mysite.syr.edu/cis453/notes/DFD_over_Flowcharts.pdf> [Accessed 12 February 2016].
GIGAOM, 2013. How and Why LinkedIn is Becoming an Engineering Powerhouse. [online] Available at: <https://gigaom.com/2013/03/03/how-and-why-linkedin-is-becoming-an-engineering-powerhouse/> [Accessed 16 February 2016].
Government Technology, 2014. Data Breaches in the Cloud: Who is Responsible. [online] Available at: <http://www.govtech.com/security/Data-Breaches-in-the-Cloud-Whos-Responsible.html> [Accessed 11 February 2016].
Harvard Business Review, 2015. Reid Hoffman’s Two Rules for Strategy Decisions. [online] Available at: <https://hbr.org/2015/03/reid-hoffmans-two-rules-for-strategy-decisions> [Accessed 16 February 2016].
LinkedIn Official Blog, 2016. 20 Million Thank Yous. [online] Available at: <blog.linkedin.com/2016/01/19/uk-20-million/>[Accessed 13 February 2016].LinkedIn, 2015.A Brief History. [online] Available at:<https://ourstory.linkedin.com> [Accessed 5 February 2016].
Reference
WhatIs.com, nd.Definition LinkedIn. [online] Available at:<whatis.techtarget.com/definition/LinkedIn> [Accessed 5 February 2016].
Wikipedia, 2016. Porter Five Forces Analysis. [online] Available at:<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_five_forces_analysis> [Acessed 13 February 2016]
Wikipedia, 2016. Big Data. [online] Available at: <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_data> [Accessed 11 February 2016].