August 29, 2010

Biz Quizzard 335

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week August 23 - 28. Hope you enjoy it.

1. The Compass Group, a UK-based over 13 billion pounds food and services provider, has acquired which firm from Ramkrishna Mankari and his family?

2. Anupam Dutta, the MD of the Indian operations of which MNC, is relocating to head its South Africa and sub-Sahara operations?

3. Which company will enter the mid-market hotel segment under the brand name Traveller this year?

4. Which MNC and Nokia last week said they had opened a joint research laboratory on Finland’s north-western coast?

5. What distinction has Facebook achieved in India recently?

6. Which drug maker last week said it will acquire domestic pharma company Meditab Specialities for Rs 133 crore?

7. Which MNC last week launched its 125cc bike SlingShot in India?

8. Which foreign bank last week opened its first branch in India in Mumbai?

9. Which MNC last week released its first US smart phone, a 3.5 inch Android device called the Aero?

10. In what is being billed as the largest deal in the payment space, which company is set to acquire Venture Infotek in a deal likely to be around $100 million?

11. Sanjay Kalra last week resigned as the CEO of which software company in India after a 6-year stint with the company?

12. Which Indian company has tied up with Hewlett Packard (HP) to avail of its ColorLok technology in producing copier paper?

13. Which MNC has launched its 'Innovations for Everyone' campaign in India?

14. Manufacturer and exporter of curtains and upholstery fabrics, D'décor has launched its first ad campaign. Whom has it signed on as its brand ambassadors?

15. Which international brand has launched its new campaign using animation for the first time in India?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 335 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

August 22, 2010

Biz Quizzard 334

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week August 16 - 21. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Daniel F Akerson will be taking over as the CEO of which well-known MNC next month?

2. Which MNC has filed a patent and copyright infringement lawsuit against Google over its Android software?

3. Which MNC has roped in Priyanka Chopra as brand ambassador for its range of washing machines?

4. I am not sure if it is a first. Which company last week announced it has successfully incorporated the new Rupee symbol in its mobile handsets?

5. What distinction has the Tata Group achieved recently?

6. Which MNC last week agreed to buy 60% of oil & gas explorer Cairn India for $9.6 billion?

7. Which MNC last week said it planned to buy data storage company 3PAR Inc?

8. I had covered the planning of this event earlier. Which company last week raked in $22.1 billion in the world’s biggest IPO?

9. Which company last week announced the launch of Braille Bill service for providing bills for the visually impaired?

10. Which digital marketing solutions firm has announced the acquisition of Lycos, a search based internet properties and services, from Daum Communications of Korea?

11. Mercedes Benz last week launched a new variant of its E-class sedan. What has it been branded as?

12. Coca-Cola India last week announced its foray into the dairy segment with a milk-based beverage. What has it been branded as?

13. Coffee Day Holdings, according to a report last week, is concluding a move to acquire Barefoot, a luxury resort in the Andaman Islands. Which well known business personality owns close to 35% in Barefoot?

14. Which MNC last week launched dENIZEN, a new global brand in China?

15. Which MNC last week announced it planned to acquire McAfee for $7.68 billion?

16. Bangalore-based EC Media will launch a desi version e-book reader on September 1. What has it been branded as?

17. Which payment service provider last week said it would acquire European rival Datacash group for $20 million?

18. Facebook’s 500 million-plus users will soon be able to track the whereabouts of their friends across the United States. What has the feature been branded as?

19. Which company last week won the sponsorship rights for all international cricket matches (barring world cup) to be played in India for the next 3 years?

20. Which celebrity from Bollywood has been named the brand ambassador of Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 334 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

August 15, 2010

Biz Quizzard 333

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week August 09 - 14. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which MNC has ousted its CEO Mark Hurd after he faced charges of sexual harassment?

2. Which MNC last week acquired social gaming company Slide for $200 million?

3. Honda Siel Cars India Ltd last week launched a new variant of its premium hatchback Jazz. What has it been sub-branded as?

4. According to a news snippet last week, Brenda Barnes will step down as the CEO of which well known MNC to take care of her health?

5. Which MNC has agreed to buy a majority stake in Guatemalan food and powdered-beverage maker Malher?

6. Which business school last week kicked off work at its Mohali campus with an initial investment of Rs 200 crore?

7. Which MNC has emerged as the preferred bidder for the acquisition of a majority stake in debt-ridden South Korean sports utility vehicle (SUV) maker Ssangyong Motor Company (SML)?

8. Which company last week launched the fashion brand Ecko Unltd in New Delhi?

9. Atul Sobti last week quit as the CEO and MD of which company after just one year stint?

10. Which company has acquired the over-the-counter healthcare brand Ingwe from South Africa-based Guideline Trading for an undisclosed amount?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 333 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

August 8, 2010

Biz Quizzard 332

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week August 02 - 07. Hope you enjoy it.

1. In what is being termed as the biggest full European acquisition by a North Asian group, which business personality is to buy UK power grids from France’s EDF for $9.1 billion?

2. PepsiCo last week announced the formal launch of its new cola brand in India. Name the brand?

3. Which MNC last week announced its foray into the hot cereal category in India with a product called ‘Heart to Heart oats’?

4. The Australian subsidiary of which Indian company has entered into an agreement with Linc Energy to acquire the mining rights of Galilee coal tenement for $455 million?

5. Which MNC last week said it would sell its Colombian business for a total of $1.9 billion to national oil company Ecopetrol and Talisman of Canada?

6. Gopal Das was last week appointed acting CMD of which well known public sector entity?

7. Maruti Suzuki India last week launched a new version of its popular hatchback Alto. What has it been branded as?

8. What milestone has Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) crossed recently?

9. Which BPO major last week appointed Charles Hunting as CEO for Asia region?

10. Kuldip Kaura, former chief executive of metals major Vedanta Resources, has been appointed the managing director of which company?

11. Which MNC has agreed to buy a 60% stake in the Marcellus shale acreage in the US for $392 million?

12. Which iconic automobile brand is, according to reports last week, likely to hit the Indian roads by the end of this year?

13. Mr KM Mathew passed away at the age of 93 on August 1 in Kerala. He was the chief editor of which publication group?

14. Which MNC is celebrating 15 years of mobility in India with Project Ujjwal, an initiative to drive 100% household mobility in 5 villages in Rae Bareli?

15. Why were RK Krishna Kumar, Lord Kumar Bhattacharya, Cyrus Mistry, Shirin Bharucha and NA Soonawala in news last week?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 332 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

August 1, 2010

Biz Quizzard 331

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week July 26 - 31. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Starting this edition on a sweet and auspicious note. I am talking about the latest television commercial (currently on air) of one of my favorite brands. Once again, like all great commercials, everything is perfect – concept, script, cast and music. The positioning is ‘Shubh Aarambh’. Which brand?

2. According to a news snippet last week, Richard Branson is planning the listing of the group’s gym chain. What is it called?

3. The battle for the Singapore-based hospitals chain Parkway Holdings has finally ended. Which company is taking control of the chain?

4. Which company last week said it has acquired Turkish personal care firm Hobi Kozmetik group for $69 million?

5. Samina Akhter, a businesswoman in Britain, has launched ‘Samina Pure Makeup’, a new range of cosmetics. What is unique about it?

6. Which MNC is replacing its CEO Tony Hayward from October?

7. Which automobile MNC has launched a new brand, Baojun, for the Chinese market?

8. Which MNC and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last week announced the most far-reaching global partnership for the next five Olympic Games starting from London 2012?

9. Who has been appointed the new MD of Tata International?

10. Which MNC last week launched its entry into the Indian open market with the launch of its new series of handset devices – Hangout and Android?

11. Which MNC has sold film studio Miramax for more than $660 million to Filmyard Holdings?

12. China has overtaken which country to become the world’s second-largest economy?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 331 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli