Typically, the longer a company has been in operations, the more rigid it becomes in its corporate structure. In other words, the company culture is more established and there is less room for innovation or creativity. This makes sense since if companies have done things in a certain way and it has worked out for them, there is less incentive for change. As a result, executives at these established companies do not need to get creative but rather devote most of their time to maintaining and protecting the company’s current form of business.

However, according to Professor James Price at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, thinking like an entrepreneur and applying the wisdom used by entrepreneurs to large organizations can actually help the organization's business run more smoothly and effectively. Below are 7 principles used by entrepreneurs in which large company execs should incorporate into their own line of work:

We’ve all probably seen a clip on TV of beauty pageants such as the Miss USA competition and either a) kept watching because it featured beautiful women or b) thought it was a joke and immediately changed the channel.

The general opinion of these pageants is that they tend to be associated with superficiality and place certain ideals about how women should be judged. However, there are qualities that contestants have which are actually applicable to the corporate world.

Here are 5 tips on how behaving like a beauty queen can help your own career:

I want to share a topic off the Internet that discusses an alternative way to pay for higher education.

Last week, a blogger (on another site) referred to the idea of equity financing for college students. So basically, instead of obtaining student loans and potentially getting into debt to pay off tuition, students would sell equity stakes in their future earnings and pay a percentage of their annual income to their investors.

I have always found quotes to be very interesting. Not stock quotes (although I guess they can also be interesting), but quotes said by well - known people. Sometimes, these quotes can be great words of wisdom that provide inspiration, while other times, they are little more than laughing material.

For instance, if we looked at the topic of winning, one quote that comes to mind is:

“Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing” - Vince Lombardi

And then there's Charlie Sheen:

“Duh, winning”

Outside of the everyday context, quotes can also be found to describe or give better insight about certain business concepts. Excerpted from The Economist's "Book of Business Quotations," below are some memorable quotes regarding particular business - related subjects, in order from A to D:

They go by different names – the Millennials, Gen – Y, Net Generation, but they all refer to the same group: people who were born from the late 1970’s to the early 2000’s. This group of people is now growing up, entering the workplace, and rapidly filling the desks/offices of its predecessors.

As they become more visible in society, several labels have been applied to this group by older generations; that they’re lazy, entitled, egocentric, filled with unrealistic expectations. More importantly though, Gen - Y'ers are just different, which could cause some difficulties in being managed by members of previous generations.

But according to a study jointly conducted by University of North Carolina's Kenan - Flagler Business School and the Young Entrepreneurship Council, millennials actually have quite a lot to offer to a business or organization.

When someone tries to raise capital, we normally think that the person is trying to start or expand his/her own business. Recently, a 28 - year old man named Noah approached investors for help: he ended up raising $900,000. However, the money was not used for pursuing his entrepreneurial endeavors. Instead, he was using that money to enter a poker tournament.

During these next three days, arguably poker’s biggest event ever will take place: The Big One for One Drop tournament. Entry Fee: $1 million.

As a result of the large buy – in, many poker players had to seek out wealthy businessmen, hedge fund managers, and real estate moguls to raise the money. So, why would these investors stake their own money for a poker tournament?

Yesterday, there was a post by another author discussing the possibility of moving to Singapore. Today, we will discuss the possibility of relocating abroad to another major international location: Brazil.

As some of you may already know, many reports have deemed Brazil as the next potential economic superpower, similar to how China was viewed about a decade ago. Interestingly enough, just ten years ago, Brazilian professionals were leaving their country to look for better opportunities elsewhere. However, these days, hordes of foreign professionals from countries such as the United States, Portugal, and Spain are going to Brazil for potential career opportunities.

The reason?

There’s officially 40 days until the opening of the Games of the XXX Olympiad (2012 Summer Olympic Games). But for many European business school students, their version of the Games has already been completed.

Just last month, a large number of MBA students and alumni (over 1,500 representatives) across Europe gathered at HEC Paris for the annual MBA Tournament. Known as the MBAT, the tournament consists of three days of sporting competitions with events such as tennis, soccer, tug – of – war, and even salsa dancing.

So one might be wonder: what’s the purpose of this tournament and how does it relate to MBA students?

In the news nowadays, you may often hear worries about the United States heading towards a deflationary period. However, these concerns are not entirely new as they were also echoed in 2009, 2008, all the way back to the brief recession in 2001. Still, many people believe that even after the end of the recent Great Recession, the U.S. economy may experience deflation in the near future.

From our economics courses, we learned that deflation is defined as a decrease in the general price level of goods and services (or to put it in simpler terms, when the inflation rate is below 0%). With the slow growth and job creation in our nation's economy, there's a chance that the general price level will start to fall as it did at the end of 2008.

Five indicators that deflation might occur in the U.S. :

It’s that time of the year again, Graduation Time!, for many college seniors. So let me start by extending my congratulations to the Class of 2012 for all their dedication and hard work. However, as many (all) of you should know, the economy is still very rough and job prospects remain bleak. 

You may be ready to embark on the next stage of your life, but for many, what’s the next step?