July 28, 2013

Biz Quizzard 487

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week July 22 - 27. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which celebrity is the new brand ambassador for Reebok India?

2. Subra Suresh is the first Indian-origin president of which well known university?

3. Which mobile VAS firm said it has closed the deal to acquire US-based Livewire Mobile for $17.8 million?

4. Abdul Rahim Rather has been elected as the new Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on GST. He is the Finance Minister of which state?

5. Which brand has roped in celebrated children’s author Ruskin Bond to blog for its micro-site, ThefutureGenius.com?

6. Which company has announced a tie up with Spain’s Medical Diagnostics Aragon (MDA) for the pan-India launch of ‘Rehidrata-T,’ an oral rehydration salt (ORS) formulation in gel form?

7. Which company has appointed Prashant Vatkar as chief executive officer for its international business?

8. Which business personality has resigned from the board of Reserve Bank of India to avoid conflict of interest?

9. Neil Mills has stepped down as the CEO of which airline?

10. According to the Tourism Ministry, which state was the top tourist destination for domestic tourists in 2012?

11. Which luxury car maker plans to launch its first sports utility vehicle (SUV) model in 2016?

12. Which MNC said it plans to purchase cyber security company Sourcefire Inc for $2.7 billion?

13. Which company holds the record of being the first Indian company to cross a million followers on Twitter?

14. Which consumer durable MNC is celebrating 111 years in the industry?

15. Holcim, the world’s fourth largest cement maker, is restructuring its Indian subsidiaries through a complex exercise. Which company will become its flagship company in the country?

16. Athlete-turned-media professional Adille Sumariwalla and which business personality are teaming up to create a new media and advertising solutions company, Interspace Communications?

17. Starbucks is teaming up with which MNC to create a line of yogurts that will be sold in the coffee company’s stores and in grocery stores?

18. Which is the most expensive city in the world for expatriates, according to the latest Cost of Living Survey by Mercer?

19. The Central Board of Excise and Custom (CBEC) has de-recognised which 3 automobile brands as ‘sports utility vehicles’ (SUVs)?

20. Which company is celebrating its 75th anniversary through its latest campaign titled 'Shine On'?

21. Gitanjali Group has announced the appointment of which actress as the brand ambassador for Parineeta wedding jewellery brand?

22. Which company has topped the Corporate Dossier-Hay Group’s ‘India’s Best Boards’ list?

23. Which MNC has appointed former PepsiCo India head Manu Anand as its new India head?

24. Which company has purchased real estate developer DLF’s 74% stake in life insurer DLF Pramerica Life Insurance Company for Rs 220 crore?

25. Which media group is getting ready to launch a new English daily, National Standard?

26. Which MNC plans to jump into the premium bottled water market with a drink called Om?

27. Which company has entered into a joint venture with SCM Real Estate (Singapore), an investment arm of Standard Chartered Bank, for development of residential projects in India?

28. Who will be the new MD and CEO of Hindustan Unilever?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 487 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

July 21, 2013

Biz Quizzard 486

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week July 15 - 20. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which MNC has introduced a new limited-edition men’s fragrance called Team Five, which is inspired by five-a-side football?

2. The finance ministry has identified Usha Ananthasubramanian, executive director of Punjab National Bank, to be the chief executive of which bank?

3. The JSM Corporation Pvt Ltd, a leading Indian franchise, will launch which popular Japanese restaurant chain in India?

4. Which commodity software maker has bought a significant stake in Australia-based Matrix Group?

5. Japan’s second-largest carmaker Nissan Motor revived its Datsun brand with the global unveiling of a hatchback in Delhi last week. What has it been branded as?

6. Santosh B Nayar has been appointed as CEO and MD of which state-run finance company?

7. Which company in India has the most international exposure, according to a study conducted by the Indian School of Business (ISB)?

8. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has empanelled which company to impart vocational training in nutrition and beauty to 11th and 12th grade students across 12 states?

9. Zee News Ltd, comprising eight national and regional channels in its bouquet, announced that it has embraced a new philosophy along with a new identity. What will it be known as?

10. Nirmalya Kumar, London Business School professor and top-notch marketing strategist, is joining which business group from August 1 this year?

11. Which company has appointed former LG India director YV Verma as its CEO?

12. Who says the global economy is in recession. Which MNC has ordered a tablet computer for chief executive officer Alexey Miller with a maximum price tag of $3.7 million?

13. Which company, through its joint venture with Nissan, last week unveiled the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) Stile?

14. Which international auction house will conduct its first auction in India in December?

15. Bennett Coleman & Co (BCCL) has decided to shut which weekly newspaper?

16. Which famed American makeup brand opened its first store in India last week?

17. Which PE firm is taking over Chennai-headquartered auto components company Agile Electric Works, along with its listed subsidiary Igarashi Motors India (IMIL), for Rs 660 crore?

18. Which organization has partnered with Shop Online Trading (SOTPL), a franchisee of e-commerce firm Yebhi.com, to mark its entry into the online shopping business?

19. The consortium of actor Nagarjuna, former manager of the Indian cricket team Vankina Chamundeswaranath and which cricketer has bagged the Mumbai franchise of Indian Badminton League (IBL)?

20. Which Indian CEO is No. 3 in the inaugural WorldofCEOs.com ranking of the ‘Top 30 CEOs on Social Media’?

21. Who is Hollywood's highest paid actor, according to Forbes.com?

22. Which is the most expensive metropolis in India for a night out for two, according to a survey by TripAdvisor?

23. Which Nestle-owned ice cream brand will restart operations in India?

24. Which city filed for bankruptcy last week, the largest US city ever to take such a course?

25. Which automobile brand has won the crown for the world’s best taxi at the Beaulieu’s World of Top Gear motorsport show?

26. Which company has said it will buy Hindustan Unilever’s erstwhile HQ at Backbay Reclamation in Churchgate, Mumbai?

27. Which advertising personality has been re-elected as the president of Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI)?

28. The Government has raised objections to the use of which internet domain name by Reliance Industries?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 486 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

July 14, 2013

Biz Quizzard 485

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week July 08 - 13. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which company has replaced Tata Steel as the country's most admired company, as per a Fortune list released last week?

2. Which two sports personalities have been roped in to endorse Rodeo Drive Luxury brands?

3. The government is set to appoint Arundhati Bhattacharya as the first woman managing director of which bank?

4. Which company has appointed Kiran Kumar Grandhi as corporate chairman?

5. America’s real estate business tycoon and celebrity Donald Trump has announced his company's first Indian project. Which city?

6. Which MNC has acquired 80 per cent of Italian luxury cashmere clothing brand Loro Piana for € 2 billion?

7. Which entity has launched its first Under Graduate Programme in BCom (Capital Market) in a Mumbai college as part of designing courses to meet needs of the industry and capital market?

8. Gopal Coprco Ltd (GCL), a well known name in the tobacco segment, is entering the snack segment with which brand?

9. Which company is launching its own Bollywood-inspired fashion label, Diva’ni, in partnership with Delhi-based Karol Bagh Saree House, a manufacturer and retailer of Indian ethnic wear?

10. On July 2, how many districts were added to the 16 other districts across three states, which form the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi?

11. Which company has roped in Sanjay Behl, former head of brand and marketing at Reliance ADA Group, as the CEO of textile and apparel businesses?

12. Which company has acquired The Clarion Hotel in Whitefield, Bangalore?

13. Which luxury chocolate maker from Japan made its India entry by opening a flagship store at Mumbai’s high-street Palladium Mall last week?

14. Which British luxury shoemaker plans to enter India early next year?

15. Who has topped the 2013 edition of the ET Corporate Dossier ‘India Inc’s Most Powerful CEOs’?

16. Which MNC will soon launch its premium chocolate brand Alpino in India to take on Italian brand Ferrero Rocher and Cadbury’s Toblerone in the country?

17. German sports lifestyle giant Puma is set to uncork after hour parties with the launch of its first ever standalone food and beverage club. Which city?

18. Which apparel company has appointed Kavindra Mishra as chief executive of its Indian operations?

19. Which bank has regained its position as the most profitable foreign bank in the country?

20. Which academic & business personality of Indian origin, whose namesake brand is known worldwide, died on July 12 at his home in Wayland, Mass, USA?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 485 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

July 7, 2013

Biz Quizzard 484

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week July 01 - 06. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Hilton Worldwide recently opened Hilton Shijiazhuang in the Hebei province of China. What is significant about this hotel?

2. Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has launched an 110cc bike. What has it been branded as?

3. Microsoft’s Xbox chief Don Mattrick is leaving the company to join which MNC as its chief executive?

4. Which company has bought a 49.2 per cent stake in US- based performance (race) motorcycle maker Erik Buell Racing (EBR), for $25 million (nearly Rs 150 crore)?

5. Which business personality has plans to bring international soccer teams to India, along with his own Queens Park Rangers (QPR), to hold leagues in the country?

6. Which international yogurt brand has marked its entry into India by launching three stores at Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru?

7. Which MNC has bought Silicon Valley startup Bignoggins Productions as part of its quest for more bright ideas in mobile applications?

8. The average sales per store for which fashion brand has soared much above other top apparel brands to be at par with the country’s largest jewellery chain Tanishq?

9. Which company and motorcycle brand Ducati have tied up to launch a range of special edition watches in India?

10. Which hospitality major has been voted the World’s Best Hotel Brand by Travel+ Leisure magazine’s World’s Best Awards, 2013?

11. Umesh Shrikhande, former CEO of Contract Advertising India, is the new CEO of which advertising agency?

12. RGF Executive, the search arm of Japanese company Recruit Holdings, has signed a deal worth nearly Rs 150 crore to buy which search firm in India?

13. Which e-commerce company has launched an online payment solution PayZippy for Indian merchants?

14. Honda Motorcycles and Scooter India Private Ltd (HMSI) has launched a new 110 cc bike. What has it been branded as?

15. According to a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which country will dethrone Switzerland in the next two years as the world’s top centre for managing international funds?

16. Which MNC is hiring Paul Deneve, the former chief executive officer of luxury fashion house Yves St Laurent Group, to work on special projects for its CEO?

17. Which MNC has acquired Boxee Inc, a New York- based start-up whose set-top box can record broadcasts and stream online video?

18. MS Raghavan has taken charge as the Chairman and Managing Director of which bank?

19. Former telecom secretary R Chandrasekhar will be the new president of which industry body?

20. Anil Kapoor can be seen in the television commercial for which automobile brand?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 484 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli