LinkedIn Corp. 2008 Case Solution And Analysis, HBR Case Study Solution & Analysis of Harvard Case Studies

In June 2008, the online professional networking service LinkedIn became a $ 1 billion company. But general manager Dan Nye realized that LinkedIn faced several strategic dilemmas. Founded in 2002, LinkedIn in 2008 became the world's leading professional services network (PNS), with over 23 million members. Trying to "dominate the business network for business," said Nye, LinkedIn will allow individual users to create a profile on LinkedIn, and then use the tools of the site to search for employment opportunities, recruit candidates for the job, finding suppliers, partners and customers, and seek expert advice . The company is also expanding its presence in the corporate services that enable companies to create and manage their online networks. With revenue sources that included advertising, premium subscriptions, job services and business solutions, LinkedIn was on the way of income in 2008 to $ 100 million. The new round of funding in mid-2008 was given $ 1 billion estimate for the company. Three key dilemmas before LinkedIn, however. First, at a time when the "walled garden" model of online community building is under siege, he had to decide how far it should open its platform to users. Second, in the light of competition from popular social networking services such as Facebook and MySpace, LinkedIn had to decide whether to include social media in their value proposition. Third, in the increasingly global business environment, it had to weigh the option of merging with its leading international competitor, XING.com. "Hide
by David B. Yoffie, Michael Slind, Nitzan Achsaf Source: HBS Premier Case Collection 23 pages. Publication Date: August 7, 2008. Prod. #: 709426-PDF-ENG