Biz Quizzard 417

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

1. Thai business magnate Chaleo Yoovidhya died recently. He was the founder of which well known brand?

2. Durian Industries Ltd has appointed which celebrity as their new brand ambassador?

3. Which MNC has agreed to pay €5.2 billion ($6.85 billion) to buy Dutch rival TNT Express?

4. Timbre Media, a Bangalore-based start-up, along with Vodafone India, is re-launching which well known entertainment brand?

5. Which brand has emerged as the most valuable global brand as per the annual survey undertaken by international agency Brand Finance?

6. Which MNC last week said it has agreed to buy Kiva Systems Inc for $775 million in cash, a deal which will bring more robotic technology to its network of warehouses?

7. Which twenty-year-old brand has changed its positioning to 'Har tod ka super jod', while maintaining its tagline?

8. Which automobile MNC has reached an endorsement agreement with New York Knicks basketball star Jeremy Lin that will cover several international markets but focus on the U.S. and China?

9. Which company last week synchronised the second unit of its Maithon power project in Jharkhand, making it the country’s largest private sector power generating firm?

10. Marking the first occasion that Mickey Mouse, one of the world’s most recognisable brands, will be associated with cricket, which entity has signed a brand alliance with Walt Disney India?

11. Which two companies last week announced their planned merger, creating a $2.4-billion company with the potential to challenge India’s top-tier software companies?

12. Which MNC plans to launch its heritage brand Datsun in India to make deeper inroads in the fast growing small car market?

13. Which bank has launched Sapphiro, a new card product for the super affluent segment and its wealth management clientele?

14. Diversified business group ITC has launched a common loyalty programme. What has it been branded as?

15. Which well known MNC is spinning off its grocery business and will change its name to Mondelez International Inc?

16. Which destination is the best place to do business, according to data compiled by Bloomberg?

17. Which company’s former CEO, who blew the whistle on one of Japan’s most high-profile frauds, has been described as “boldest business person of the year” by Financial Times?

18. Jim Skinner will be retiring as the CEO of which well known MNC?

19. More than 35 million people have downloaded the mobile game "Draw Something" since it was released six weeks ago. Which well known company last week acquired the gaming start-up behind it?

20. Reliance Foundation last week launched ‘Reliance Drishti’. What is it?

21. Takayuki Ishida has been appointed as the Managing Director of the Indian operations of which automobile MNC?

22. Which MNC has launched its new campaign, 'Jhukna Mat', featuring brand ambassador John Abraham?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 417 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 416

In a week that saw the Master Blaster achieve the much awaited milestone, pleased to share two milestones for Biz Quizzard. The quiz completes 8 years with this edition, without missing a single week till date. Biz Quizzard has also been featured in the Limca Book of Records 2012 edition as the longest running online business quiz in India. The achievement is a further addition to the record already made last year in the 2011 edition. Thanking you all, especially Murali Duggineni and Quinkie members, for being part of this journey.

The 23rd edition of the Limca Book of Records was launched last month at a special event by Pandit Ravi Shankar, legendary sitar maestro, along with Ahmet C Bozer, President, Eurasia and Africa Group,the Coca-Cola Company, Atul Singh, President & CEO, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, and Vijaya Ghose, Editor, Limca Book of Records. With 20 refreshing and informative chapters, the 2012 edition of the record book celebrates over 10,000 remarkable achievements out of which 6,000 are new records, all showcasing extraordinary feats of Indians across the globe. The ‘Music Special' edition catalogues a special music section acknowledging the extraordinary achievements of 10 Indian musicians as ‘People of the Year.’

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

1. Which well known chief executive is reportedly planning to pen a memoir, the working title of which is ‘V to W’, i.e. from Village to World?

2. Which Indian company is foraying into a luxury line that is exclusively styled by Milanese designer Alberto Ciaschini?

3. Which MNC has decided to exit mobile money business, two years after it launched the service in India?

4. Which wealth management firm has been named as the 'Best Private Bank in India' in Euromoney's Private Banking and Wealth Management Poll – 2012?

5. Anant Goenka will take over as the new MD of which company?

6. Which Indian entity has agreed in principle to acquire a majority stake in Brazilian iron-ore firm Amplus, with one of the world’s largest ore reserves?

7. Which company has launched the country’s first CDMA tablet?

8. After the famous Rasna girls, it is now Rasna boys. Which celebrity has been signed on to endorse Rasna's new Fruit Plus along with a young Rasna boy?

9. Which company, through its unit, has made an entry into the housing finance business with an agreement to acquire Indo-Pacific Housing Finance Ltd, a small-sized housing finance company which was formerly known as AIG Home Finance?

10. In a landmark judgment, which company has been granted India's first compulsory licence for Bayer's cancer drug?

11. An airport in Karaikal, an enclave of Puducherry, is likely to become operational in around 2 years. What is its claim to fame?

12. Which mutual fund has filed an offer document with SEBI to launch the first infrastructure debt fund in India?

13. Which MNC has acquired Posterous, a blogging platform known for its slick digital media-sharing interface?

14. PepsiCo is rolling out a new version of its flagship cola brand in the US later this month in an effort to court drinkers who have given up on cola. What will it be branded as?

15. Which company last week synchronized the fifth unit of its power plant, taking its total generating capacity to 4,620MW, making it the world’s largest single-location coal-fired plant in the private sector?

16. The real estate arm of which business group last week launched its first pan-India retail brand 'GoodLife'?

17. In yet another sign of the growing dominance of the digital publishing market, which well known publication still in print is moving solely into the digital age?

18. Which MNC last week said it would buy network and data security products maker SonicWall from an investor group?

19. Which MNC has emerged as the number one desktop seller in India during 2011?

20. Which two companies are the only Indian entities that have been named among the world's most ethical companies by an American think tank?

21. Which MNC has reportedly apologized for naming one of its sneaker brands Black and Tan?

22. Which company has partnered with Proline to launch a range of coffee themed T-shirts?

23. Multi Screen Media (formerly Sony Entertainment Television) has unveiled the name of its soon-to-be launched sports channel. What has it been branded as?

24. Parle Agro has signed on which celebrity to star in the new television campaign for its aerated apple drink Appy Fizz?

25. Which cosmetic and beauty product giant is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its tagline, though the current brand line does not quite exist in its original avatar?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 416 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

p.s. answers are mailed to only those who attempt the quiz within the given time.

Biz Quizzard 415

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week March 05 - 10. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which company has become the first Indian firm to be certified as “Responsible Care Company” under the American Chemistry Council?

2. Just before IPL season, which brand has shifted its focus to football with its latest campaign ‘Change the game’?

3. 25-year-old equestrian and granddaughter of Princess Grace of Monaco, Charlotte Casiraghi is the new face of which international luxury brand?

4. Which international celebrity has bagged a £20-m designing Deal with H and M to design a range of suits?

5. Which beverage brand has appointed actress Genelia D'souza as its new brand ambassador?

6. Michael O’Neill will take over as which MNC’s new chairman?

7. Which MNC last week said it will acquire U.S.-based Amobee Inc., a provider of mobile advertising solutions, in an all-cash deal worth US$321 million?

8. Which MNC has promoted Manish Sharma as its managing director of India operations?

9. Which television channel is claiming to be the first regional channel in India to be streamed on mobile phones?

10. Which company has topped a list of India's 50 most admired companies in the first such list for India, compiled by business magazine Fortune and global management consultancy Hay Group?

11. Which automobile MNC has appointed Bo Shin Seo as the new Managing Director of its India operations?

12. Which company has bagged the title sponsorship for Asia Cup 2012 for the second consecutive year?

13. KK Maheshwari has been appointed as the managing director of which company, a post created for the first time in the 65-yearold company?

14. After a pilot launch in 2011 in the north and the east, which MNC is now planning to take its mass market brand AT to the southern markets?

15. Which well known sports personality has partnered with former table tennis player Vasanth Bharadwaj to launch Tenvic, a sports consulting firm that offers solutions to various target groups?

16. Which company, providing photos and film video for advertisers, is expanding further into entertainment by launching GreenLight Music service, an online music service?

17. Japan’s ministry of agriculture, forestry and fisheries (MAFF) has tied up with which retail chain in India to launch a new initiative called Taste Japan?

18. Google has launched an online store for all digital content - music, movies, books and apps. What has it been branded as?

19. Which company has acquired Delhi-based vCustomer’s BPO for $27 million?

20. Who is the world’s richest person as per Forbes’ latest rich list?

21. In a long-awaited top management succession planning exercise, which company has split the chairman, MD roles and appointed K Venkataraman as its CEO and Managing Director?

22. Why was IIM Ahmedabad alumnus Srilata A Zaheer in news last week?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 415 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

p.s. answers are mailed to only those who attempt the quiz within the given time.

Biz Quizzard 414

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week February 27 - March 03. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which country has been ranked as the world's wealthiest country per capita in a new list compiled by Forbes magazine?

2. Which MNC is claiming to have developed the world's lightest GPS watch / monitor?

3. Which brand will be sponsoring the Indian contingent at the London 2012 Olympic Games?

4. Omnicom group last week unveiled a new identity for which advertising agency in India?

5. Which company last week launched ‘Flyte', its digital music store?

6. Which business personality is the new chairman of the Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad?

7. Ranjan Kapur is the new chairman of which advertising agency?

8. Which company has launched its new brand campaign titled 'Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi'?

9. Which Indian company has clinched an agreement with Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, to supply bicycles across the world?

10. Which beverage brand has launched a new campaign with the tagline 'Raasta clear hain'?

11. Which company has appointed the current vice chairman and one of its founders, Subroto Bagchi, as its new chairman?

12. Which company will bring British shirt brand Thomas Pink, owned by French major Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), to India?

13. Which film producer is among the 9 Indian women named in Forbes magazine's inaugural 'Asia Power Businesswomen list'?

14. Which company has launched the country's first and only OTT (over-the-top) TV distribution platform, Ditto TV?

15. Which well known international brand has unveiled a new logo, corporate identity along with a campaign 'How alive are you?'?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 414 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

p.s. answers are mailed to only those who have attempted the quiz within the given time.