1. 107 MAN Assignment 2: Information Systems and Decision Making in Business
Samantha Pole ID: 6710233

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.
Custome
r
LinkedIn Marketing Sales Team
Talent Acquisitions Team
Admin
Computer Interviewer
Yes No
Connector
Detailspassedonto
interviewer
Passdetailson
Feedback
Decision made
Mandate Approach
Project details
Connector Details
LinkedInTalentDesignDecisionFlowDiagram
Sources: Coventry, 5:1, Creately, 2016, Donald S Le Vie, nd,
Advanced Performance Institute, nd.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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].

12. 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].

13. 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].