Latest news with #SouthernMethodistUniversity
Harvard Business Review
4 days ago
- Business
- Harvard Business Review
Stress Test Your Strategy Before It Fails
While many teams and organizations engage in scenario planning, most don't go far enough. Arjan Singh, consultant and adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University, says a more disciplined approach, borrowed from the military, can help leaders truly test how their strategies, operations, and tactics hold up against competitors, shifting market dynamics, and unexpected events. He's helped hundreds of companies identify risks and find new ways to innovate by leading them through corporate war games, and he explains his process and results. Singh is the author of the book Competitive Success: Building Winning Strategies with Corporate War Games. Key episode topics include: competitive strategy, strategy, scenario planning, risk management, military, wargaming HBR On Strategy curates the best conversations and case studies with the world's top business and management experts, to help you unlock new ways of doing business. New episodes every week.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Picuris Pueblo uses genetic testing and finds ties to Chaco Canyon
TAOS COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – A New Mexico pueblo is going against the norm and using genetic testing, looking to answer questions about their history. The results show they have ties to Chaco Canyon going back hundreds of years. 'It's what we always talked about, what was passed on through generations – through our fore-fathers and our elders, that we had that connection,' said Picuris Pueblo Governor Wayne Yazza Jr. Governor Yazza Jr. of the Picuris Pueblo says they always knew they had ties to Chaco Canyon, but didn't have the hard evidence to prove it. When non-Pueblo parties started conversations such as drilling in the area, Picuris leaders say they felt left out. All Pueblo Council of Governors voice support for legislation to permanently protect Chaco Canyon 'Chaco Canyon was being mined, drilled, being basically in a position where we could lose it,' said Picuris Pueblo Lt. Governor Craig Quanchello. That's when leaders decided they could use genetic testing to trace their DNA back to the site. Hoping to get a say on the land, they partnered with a scientist in Denmark and a professor at Southern Methodist University. 'There are controversial aspects to this. Not everybody agrees with doing ancient DNA. But Picuris knows its identity, they know they've been there for over 1,100 years. They know they would like to know more,' said Professor Mike Adler, Southern Methodist University. The Picuris Pueblo has a population of about 300 people. The lieutenant governor says having this genetic data would also open opportunities for them to learn about their medical history and tailor medicine to their genetic makeup. Governor signs bill protecting students' right to wear Native American regalia 'Looking at the world legally, there's all these disputes, whether it land, sacred sites, monuments, it all ties together at the end of the day. Having this DNA, it's a game-changer. It's a tool that we can use to our advantage,' said Yazza Jr. Picuris leaders say they hope this will open the door for future productive conversations surrounding Chaco. 'At the end of the day, it's protecting Chaco. That was the big thing of tracing it. Letting them know that that's a sacred place to all tribes,' said Yazza Jr. The data collected is also completely controlled by the Pueblo. Meaning if any researchers wanted access in the future, they would need to get their permission. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Navy veteran wants to make it easier to lend money to family
Listen and subscribe to Warrior Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Sometimes the best way to build a successful business is to see where a company can make the biggest impact. This was Navy veteran Dennis Cail's philosophy when founding Zirtue, a money lending company that allows friends and family to lend money to each other with a better guarantee they'll get paid back. As Cail explained, the company's use of digital promissory notes creates a paper trail and sets up payment plans to ensure that money is paid back, eliminating the need for unfulfilled Venmo requests and payday loans with high interest rates. Cail credits his trajectory to the education he received at Southern Methodist University in Texas after four years in the Navy. Though the military was a foundational part of his experience, he said on Yahoo Finance's Warrior Money podcast that it was his education — partially paid for with the GI bill — that aided his journey as an entrepreneur. 'It's one thing to have the military experience, which gave me a lot of discipline, a lot of focus that I didn't have before,' he said. 'Once I got the education, that just opened my mind to all the opportunities and possibilities that were out there. And I started trying to use my God-given talents and skills to figure out how I can be helpful.' This embedded content is not available in your region. Now, Zirtue operates on the same principles by listening to consumers and trying to find solutions to their problems. 'Our whole mission is to drive financial equity and inclusion one relationship at a time, and we do that by simplifying loans between friends and family,' Cail explained. 'We have this whole model that we call partnership with purpose. So, OK, we're not going to force you to get a bank account. Maybe we can put you in a position where you can get the money you need to pay the bills you need now, and then graduate you into traditional bank accounts and credit products that work for you. But let's meet you where you are today.' Zirtue's efforts to meet customers where they are, including a partnership with MoneyGram that allows the 5.6 million Americans who don't have a bank account to use the service, have presented new opportunities for the company to grow and for customers to begin to get on their feet financially. The company has also expanded to offer a similar payment plan service to small businesses looking to get unfulfilled invoices paid — thereby helping many of them stay solvent. "We are basically allowing those companies to set payment terms with companies and consumers that owe them money versus writing those funds off," Cail explained. "And it essentially allows them to allow those vendors and or customers to pay over time, but at least they get to capture that as revenue versus writing it off." "I think once you figure out how to solve the problem of staying in business, you've really figured out how to grow your business," he continued. Each week, Warrior Money will dive into the financial topics that matter most to veterans and the broader public. You can find more episodes on our video hub or watch on your preferred streaming service. Sign up for the Mind Your Money newsletter Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Navy veteran wants to make it easier to lend money to family
Listen and subscribe to Warrior Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Sometimes the best way to build a successful business is to see where a company can make the biggest impact. This was Navy veteran Dennis Cail's philosophy when founding Zirtue, a money lending company that allows friends and family to lend money to each other with a better guarantee they'll get paid back. As Cail explained, the company's use of digital promissory notes creates a paper trail and sets up payment plans to ensure that money is paid back, eliminating the need for unfulfilled Venmo requests and payday loans with high interest rates. Cail credits his trajectory to the education he received at Southern Methodist University in Texas after four years in the Navy. Though the military was a foundational part of his experience, he said on Yahoo Finance's Warrior Money podcast that it was his education — partially paid for with the GI bill — that aided his journey as an entrepreneur. 'It's one thing to have the military experience, which gave me a lot of discipline, a lot of focus that I didn't have before,' he said. 'Once I got the education, that just opened my mind to all the opportunities and possibilities that were out there. And I started trying to use my God-given talents and skills to figure out how I can be helpful.' This embedded content is not available in your region. Now, Zirtue operates on the same principles by listening to consumers and trying to find solutions to their problems. 'Our whole mission is to drive financial equity and inclusion one relationship at a time, and we do that by simplifying loans between friends and family,' Cail explained. 'We have this whole model that we call partnership with purpose. So, OK, we're not going to force you to get a bank account. Maybe we can put you in a position where you can get the money you need to pay the bills you need now, and then graduate you into traditional bank accounts and credit products that work for you. But let's meet you where you are today.' Zirtue's efforts to meet customers where they are, including a partnership with MoneyGram that allows the 5.6 million Americans who don't have a bank account to use the service, have presented new opportunities for the company to grow and for customers to begin to get on their feet financially. The company has also expanded to offer a similar payment plan service to small businesses looking to get unfulfilled invoices paid — thereby helping many of them stay solvent. "We are basically allowing those companies to set payment terms with companies and consumers that owe them money versus writing those funds off," Cail explained. "And it essentially allows them to allow those vendors and or customers to pay over time, but at least they get to capture that as revenue versus writing it off." "I think once you figure out how to solve the problem of staying in business, you've really figured out how to grow your business," he continued. Each week, Warrior Money will dive into the financial topics that matter most to veterans and the broader public. You can find more episodes on our video hub or watch on your preferred streaming service. Sign up for the Mind Your Money newsletter Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
Former President George W. Bush draws inspiration close to his Dallas home in his latest paintings
DALLAS -- Former President George W. Bush didn't need to look too far for inspiration for his newest works of art. The 78-year-old has brushed portraits of world leaders and people who immigrated to the U.S. But his newest collection draws on scenes much closer to home: his presidential library in Dallas. The exhibit opened Thursday at the George W. Bush Presidential Center on the campus of Southern Methodist University. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush moved to Dallas after he left the White House in 2009, and he took up oil painting a few years later. The 35 new works are an ode not only to life at the center but also SMU. The exhibit called 'A Shining City on the Hilltop" is both a nod to SMU's nickname — The Hilltop — and former President Ronald Reagan's famous use of the phrase 'shining city upon a hill' to refer to America, said Teresa Lenling, director of the presidential museum. 'This features not just the places around the SMU campus but it really takes a look at the people that are the heart of this campus and the community,' said Lenling, adding that Bush composed the paintings from photos taken around the center and campus. One of the paintings comes from the center's opening in 2013, when then-President Barack Obama and all of the still-living former presidents, including Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, posed in front of the new building. Devon Yarbrough, who works at the center, said she was 'very surprised' but pleased to spot her herself in one of the paintings. She's depicted reading a book on her lunch break while sitting on a bench under tree in the center's 15-acre park. This is the fifth exhibit of George W. Bush's art to be featured at the center. His first exhibit was a collection of portraits of world leaders including including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Dalai Lama. He's also done a collection of paintings of military veterans, which were featured in his book 'Portraits of Courage,' and painted portraits of people who immigrated to the U.S., which are compiled in his book 'Out of Many, One.' The exhibit is on display through Oct. 19.
