Economic crime or fraud defined by a 2011 PricewaterhouseCoopers survey as the intentional use of “deceit to deprive another of money, property, or a legal right.” That can mean anything from old-fashioned embezzlement to the growing incidence of cybercrime. What kind of crimes are most common in the business world, and where are they most likely to happen?

It has become a joke and a cliche that when Americans want to make themselves happy, they grab their credit card and head to the nearest mall or online shopping destination. Even the infamous Tammy Faye Bakker once said, “I always say shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist.”

Are we “treating” our emotional ills with retail therapy?

Few would disagree that Van Halen is one of the most important and talented rock bands of all time. They’ve rocked for 3 decades and have held legendary status for their music, their partying, and even their political opinions. They also have another element that has become a thing of lore: their highly-demanding concert rider in the glory days of the 1980s.

We usually only know what businesses allow us to see, but they have some very interesting stories to tell. Like how Ben and Jerry were originally going to be a bagel shop or that FedEx bailed themselves out with a winning trip to Vegas. These facts are not only ultra cool but adds a little more personality to their History don’t you think?

(via: todayifoundout)

The recycling of great music is an art unto itself. Taking someone’s original song and playing it takes both courage and a willingness to face critical comparison. Most performers, even seasoned ones, avoid performing cover songs whenever possible, but some of the best musicians have not only taken on the challenge, they’ve conquered it.

One of the most sought-after talents in tech companies is graphic design. Venture- and public-funded firms know that talented graphic designers are often hard to come by even in a down economy and they’re willing to pay to get top talent. It has caused an explosion in the number of people turning their artistic and computer skills into the creative realm of technology.

A “pivot” in the tech world often means the kiss of death. When a company pivots, it takes its original or current business model and makes dramatic changes to push them in a different, hopefully more profitable direction. Many try. Few succeed.

The seven below are distinct exceptions. With Gowalla’s recent acquisition by Facebook, it culminated the shift that the company has been going through for a while. They lost to Foursquare and needed a change. Now, the talent will be preserved in a stable company and the work can be applied to a new platform (or ditched altogether.

They say you have to spend money to make money and college is normally not an exception. There are those who work hard enough to get scholarships and those who have needs that qualify them for grants, but the majority of college students must get loans to pay for the right to get an education that can make them more money later.

When the economy is strong and the job market is non-competitive, qualified candidates without degrees can find jobs relatively easily based upon simple supply and demand. When the job market turns in the way that it has recently, employers can be more picky. In essence, they get the ability to find over-qualified people with degrees when they wouldn’t normally require it.

The rainforest known as the Amazon is huge, but there’s something potentially even more impressive with the same name in the tech-business world. Amazon.com has become an absolute juggernaut, and as such can be challenging to fathom.