May 25, 2008

Biz Quizzard 217

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week May 19 - 24. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which business group is advertising its ‘kara’ range of skincare wipes in the print medium?

2. According to a report last week, US-based maker of organic juices, Apple Rush Company is planning to drag which MNC to court for using its brand in India?

3. Which watch brand has launched the Yuva collection? The campaign features brand ambassador MS Dhoni.

4. According to a report last week, for which special client has RPG Group’s Saregama India Ltd (formerly The Gramophone Company of India Ltd) brought out a four-CD audio set titled ‘Bollywood: 60 years of Romance’?

5. Aditya Birla Nuvo has recently launched its family retail brand in the apparel category. Name it?

6. Easily workable. Google’s online filing cabinet for medical records was opened to public last week giving users instant access to their health histories. What has it been branded as?

7. Which MNC has announced its partnership with conservation organization WWF-India, that it will be involved in WWF-India’s Tiger Conservation Programme?

8. Providence Equity Partners, according to reports last week, has invested $640 million for a 20% stake in the subsidiary of which Indian telecom company?

9. Snapfish, according to reports last week, has acquired the customers of MeraSnap.com, an online digital photo printing and delivery portal, for an undisclosed sum. Snapfish is the online photo services business of which MNC?

10. According to a report last week, Jaypee group company Jaiprakash Power Venture (JPVL) has acquired Bina Power Supply Company (BPSCL) for Rs 150-175 crore. Which group owns BPSCL?

11. Which MNC last week agreed to sell its 69.5% stake in MedQuist Inc. to CBaySystems Holdings Ltd. of the Virgin Islands for around $285 million?

12. Which celebrity has been signed on as a brand ambassador in India by semiconductor company AMD?

13. Which company has launched India’s first 6D cinema experience at Agra, just minutes away from the Taj Mahal?

14. Which MNC has won the contract for processing Indian passport applications?

15. Arvind Mills has rebranded itself. What is its new name?

16. Aamir Khan is endorsing a biscuit brand. Which one?

17. According to a report last week, which MNC is planning a major global retail foray under 'VC' brand?

18. Which company is entering the Rs 400 crore mint and lozenges market, with a new mint candy called Fundamint?

19. Which business/social personality was last week conferred the much coveted Rotary International's Polio Eradication Champion Award by President Mrs. Pratibha Patil?

20. Which celebrity has been announced as the new brand ambassador of Pond’s?

Please mail your answers on or befor next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 217 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

May 18, 2008

Biz Quizzard 216

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week May 12 - 17. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which brand has unveiled its latest model – Jharokha – for women?

2. Actors Vidya Balan (looking as beautiful as ever) and Madhavan can be seen in the television commercial (currently on air) of which brand?

3. According to a report last week, which company has entered into a joint venture pact with global infrastructure provider Alcatel-Lucent to provide managed network services (MNS) to telecom service providers in the country?

4. A new political magazine from the noted journalist MJ Akbar is going to hit the already crowded news magazine space next week. What has it been branded as?

5. Which international celebrity is all set to launch her third fragrance ‘Inspire’ this fall?

6. Which MNC has agreed to buy Electronic Data Systems (EDS) for about $12.6 billion in cash to build a technology-services company that could challenge IBM?

7. Mr KK Swamy last week resigned as the deputy managing director of which automobile major?

8. The new edition of which automobile brand is being advertised in the print medium with the headline ‘LEAD’?

9. According to a news snippet last week, which famous business personality has committed to buy a 3.9% stake in Indiabulls Properties Investment Trust, which is in the process of listing in Singapore?

10. Which MNC has acquired Larsen & Toubro’s Ready Mix Concrete (RMC) business for $349 million (Rs 1480 crore)?

11. Which Delhi-based IT services firm last week acquired New York-based company ‘Ebusinessware’, which offers IT solutions and consulting to financial services firms, for about $35 million?

12. What was unique about the Detroit Symphony conducted on Tuesday evening?

13. Which company is test marketing India’s first clove cigarette, Cluv Spice, across geographies?

14. Which media and entertainment company is buying CNet Networks, an online news and information provider, for $1.8 billion in cash?

15. According to a report last week, which telecom MNC will acquire Denmark-based ZYB, which operates a social networking site focused on mobile phone users, for about 31.5 million euro?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 216 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

May 11, 2008

Biz Quizzard 215

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week May 05 - 10. Hope you enjoy it. Quinkie celebrates its 5th anniversary on May 12. Hearty congratulations to all the members and Murali Duggineni. Biz Quizzard is proud and privileged to be a part of Quinkie.

1. According to a news snippet recently, residents of Canada’s Prince Edward Island rushed into stores to buy which product in a particular packaging format, after a decades-long ban on the particular packaging was lifted?

2. The personal investment vehicle of which business personality last week bought an undisclosed stake in oncology care provider Healthcare Global Enterprises (HCG) for $20 million, the first time it is investing in an unlisted firm?

3. Which IT company has acquired Jaipur-based niche banking software product firm Natural Technologies (NTPL) for Rs 8.39 crore?

4. Which auto MNC will soon launch its premium sports utility vehicle (SUV) Murano in India?

5. Which Indian company has entered into an agreement for acquiring the majority and controlling stake in Malaysia-based Lotus Five Star Cinemas?

6. The move has triggered a deluge of protests. According to reports last week, which two brands from the PepsiCo stable will be endorsed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA)?

7. Which telecom services company has announced a deal with Apple to offer iPhone on its networks in India?

8. Jump Games and Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd, the gaming divisions of Reliance Entertainment, last week roped in which cricketer for promotions?

9. Which celebrity has been signed on as a brand ambassador for Meridian Mobiles’ flagship brand Fly mobiles?

10. Which automobile company has launched a new marketing initiative titled ‘Ghar Ghar Ki Pehchaan’ for tapping rural markets for its popular model?

11. Which Italian premium motorcycle company last week launched five of its models in India in the price range of Rs 1.3-5 million?

12. Which Indian company has acquired a controlling stake in one of Italy’s leading fabric manufacturers, Klopman, for an enterprise value of $107 million?

13. Which MNC, according to a report last week, has built up a lifestyle product portfolio including jeans styled by MS Dhoni and a Bipasha Basu Collection?

14. According to a news snippet last week, which airline has taken beef off its menu for economy class passengers on most international flights in a bid to avoid offending Hindus?

15. Which news channel last week unveiled its new revamped look with the baseline ‘Zara Sochiye’?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 215 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

May 4, 2008

Biz Quizzard 214

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week April 28 - May 03. Hope you enjoy it.

1. According to a report last week, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will exchange vows this summer abroad one of the world’s most luxurious yachts – the $200 m ‘Octopus’. Which business personality owns Octopus?

2. M&M’s candy maker Mars last week teamed up with billionaire Warren Buffett to buy which famous confectionery company?

3. Customers/users of which well known MNC last week called for a global boycott of the company on May 1?

4. After gaining notoriety for its two provocative ads, one featuring model Sana Khan and other featuring Orangutans, JG Hosiery is reportedly planning an ad featuring both. The company is the manufacturer of which well known brand?

5. Which Indian company, according to a report last week, is acquiring Bolix, a leading provider of external insulation finishing systems (EIFS) in Europe for $38.6 million?

6. Which Indian company last week said it will acquire the world’s leading chemical company BASF’s contract manufacturing business and related facilities in Shreveport in the US for $40 million, including working capital of $6 million?

7. Actress Rani Mukherjee has been signed on as the brand ambassador for which soap brand?

8. According to a report last week, Bobby Khan Holdings has acquired the exclusive rights in the sub continent for which well known international brand from Merlin Entertainment? (Hint: Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan)

9. Ms Hemu Ramaiah last week sold her 24% stake in which retail company to Tata’s retail arm Trent for an undisclosed sum?

10. Which Indian group last week reached an agreement to acquire the US steel maker and distributor Esmark Inc for an enterprise value of $1.1 billion?

11. Which well known Japanese MNC will invest 7 billion yen ($67.2 million) in a project to build the country’s first passenger jet in more than 3 decades?

12. Who has been elected President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2008-09?

13. Which bank last week launched a distinctive co-branded credit card ‘Go Card’ in association with travel portal MakeMyTrip.com?

14. Which two resident/non-resident Indians feature along with Sonia Gandhi in the Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in the world?

15. Mr Michael Boneham has been appointed the new president of the Indian operations of which MNC?

16. Which company last week said it was buying a majority stake in software services firm Aztecsoft for Rs 190 crore in one of the largest transactions involving listed IT companies in India?

17. In line with the rebranding of Reliance Entertainment to Reliance Big Entertainment, the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) is now in the process of rebranding its Adlabs multiplex business. Which brand will replace the Adlabs brand?

18. According to a report last week, Infosys Technologies might be forced to change its name in which country as it constitutes certain infringement on a trademark name in that country?

19. Which banking and insurance group last week said it would buy pension planner CitiStreet from US banking giant Citigroup and State Street Group for $900 million?

20. Which brand has specially created an exclusive premium line of formal wear for IPL’s Chennai Super Kings?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 214 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli