Biz Quizzard 526

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week April 21 - 26. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which company has found a place in The Guinness Book of World Records for the largest blood-donation drive on a single day in multiple locations?

2. Professional networking site LinkedIn has crossed which user base milestone?

3. Irrfan Khan and Raveena Tandon can be seen in the new television commercial (currently on air) for which beverage brand?

4. Which business group has launched ‘Your Voice, Their World’ as part of their CSR initiative, aiming to create world’s first poetry library for visually impaired?

5. Which IT services firm last week announced that it would acquire U.S-based analytics start-up Fix Stream Networks Inc (FSNI) for $10 million (Rs 60 crore)?

6. Which MNC has signed definitive agreements with Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) to merge its Japanese subsidiary with MC’s 100 per cent IT subsidiary IT Frontier Corporation (ITF) and Nippon TCS Solution Centre to create a new single entity?

7. Which company has announced a joint venture with Bangladesh’s Nitol Niloy group?

8. Noted economist Ila Patnaik has been appointed to which post in the Union finance ministry?

9. Which company last week opened the country’s largest used car showroom at Gurgaon?

10. Which Indian company has broken into the league of top 10 global IT services companies, moving from the 13th position in 2012 to the 10th spot in 2013?

11. Which real-estate portal has acquired Flat.to, a site that helps students and bachelors find accommodation?

12. Which MNC will buy digital video solutions company Itaas?

13. French oil services group Technip has agreed to divest 51% stake in its Indian arm and multi-vessel supplier Seamec to which company for Rs 167 crore?

14. Which home-grown stationery brand is looking to take its notebooks national?

15. Which MNC and GlaxoSmithKline Plc have agreed to buy key businesses from each other in a three-part transaction that will re-define the international marketplace?

16. Which MNC has appointed Gautam Sharma, former Wrigley India CEO, as the managing director of its Indian arm?

17. Which premier English handmade-to-measure shoemaker since 1849 has tied up with Mumbai-based Regalia Luxury for distribution and retail of its men shoes in India?

18. Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India’s (HMSI) 125cc motorcycle CB Shine has crossed which sales milestone?

19. Which company has entered into a joint venture with Japan’s Yoshindo Inc to develop biosimilars for the Japanese market?

20. WhatsApp has crossed which user base milestone?

21. The agri division of which business group has signed a joint venture agreement with HZPC of Holland to offer best quality seed potatoes to farmers within and outside India?

22. Medwell Ventures, promoted by Vishal Bali (former CEO Fortis Healthcare) and Cytespace Research, has acquired which Bangalore-based home healthcare company?

23. Which MNC has acquired ProtoGeo Oy, the two-year-old Helsinki company that makes the Moves app?

24. Which BPO services major has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pharmalink Consulting, a global provider of regulatory services in life sciences, for an undisclosed amount?

25. Which business personality has unveiled his book “Things a Little Bird Told Me: Confessions of the Creative Mind”?

26. Which brand is highlighting its packaging, product display and distribution strategy in a recently released TVC with the tagline 'Kone Kone Pe Milega'?

27. Which company has acquired Chile-based nutraceuticals firm Alimtec S.A, from its parent German-headquartered global chemical giant Bayer, for an undisclosed sum?

28. Facebook has launched a news platform for journalists. What has it been branded as?

29. Arun Chandavarkar is the new CEO and joint MD of which well known Bengaluru-based company?

30. Which MNC is entering India’s clean energy sector with a $24-million investment in India’s largest solar power plant, the 150MW project of Welspun Renewables Energy in Madhya Pradesh?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 526 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 525

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week April 14 - 19. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which celebrity has teamed up with PVP Ventures for the Kochi team of the upcoming IPL-style football league in the country?

2. L’Oreal India has launched a hair-color product, Garnier Black Naturals. Why is it unique to the company globally?

3. Which company has launched a hotline in India for startups called “JumpStart” to assist startups and entrepreneurs with business and technical questions?

4. Which company has launched a strong beer, Royal Brew, in India?

5. Which company has entered into 60:40 joint venture with Univeg to establish supply chain for fresh fruits produce?

6. Which company has launched a cricket portal Gocricket.com, featuring former India captain Sourav Ganguly?

7. Which company has tied up with social media giant Twitter to launch an app, iElect, to help users gain social insights into the ongoing Lok Sabha polls?

8. Which MNC has acquired solar-powered drone maker Titan Aerospace as it ramps up plans to deliver wireless Internet access to remote parts of the world?

9. Which MNC has bought social data provider Gnip to provide enhanced data analytics capabilities to its business customer?

10. An easy one. Cadbury India, a name which has had a sweet connect with consumers for over six decades now, will soon be rechristened. What is the new name?

11. Barcode printer maker Zebra Technologies Corp has said it would buy the enterprise business of which company for $3.45 billion in cash?

12. Which restaurant and events discovery platform has acquired table reservation startup Dineout.co.in?

13. Which media agency has announced the launch of its full service, fully owned mobile marketing subsidiary, Performics Mobile?

14. Which company has acquired online product discovery platform Doozton.com for an undisclosed sum?

15. Which company will launch the Genze electric scooter in the US by the middle of this year?

16. Srini Sundararajan has been named as the president & CEO of the Indian operations of which MNC telecom gear maker?

17. Sixty years after it was established, the country’s largest manufacturer of fans, Orient Electricals, has decided to rebrand its operation. What is the new name?

18. IT services company Mindtree has crossed which revenue milestone in FY14, the 15th year of the company’s operations?

19. Which MNC has launched a country-wide social innovation initiative –‘Great Minds Long Miles (GMLM)’?

20. Which company is the 'most attractive employer' in India, according to a survey by HR services firm Randstad?

21. According to a report last week, the daughter of which Indian business personality has joined McKinsey, US, as a consultant?

22. KV Sridhar has quit as the chief creative officer of which advertising agency, moving on after 17 years with the agency?

23. Which serial entrepreneur couple has bought Avagmah, the online higher education business of Bangalore-based 24x7 Learning?

24. Which Chennai-based mid-size technology company has acquired Applied Development, a Belgium-based IT offshoring company that develops software for European customers in India?

25. In a move to create the world's largest trader base, which online marketplace has tied up with traders body CAIT to encourage small retailers for selling products through its platform?

26. Which magazine has partnered with Hotelier International Media Ltd to launch the Indian edition of ‘Hotelier International’ magazine, the world’s largest B2B publication for hoteliers?

27. Which company has forayed into designer and utility range lighting segment with the Tisva brand?

28. Who has topped Forbes' list of the five wealthiest artists in hip-hop this year with whopping USD 700 million?

29. Which brand from the Ford stable is celebrating its 50th anniversary?

30. Which company last week said its retail chain has become the largest in the country?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 525 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 524

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week April 07 - 12. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which company has, along with its Filipino partner Megawide Construction Corporation, bagged the $700 million Mactan-Cebu International Airport project?

2. Which actress has been made the new face of the clothing company Free People?

3. The total grid-connected solar capacity in India, commissioned under the National Solar Mission, has crossed which milestone?

4. Which footwear maker has unveiled a new range of fashionable Solea brand, with actor Samantha as the new brand ambassador?

5. Which company will acquire 100 per cent of Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd in an all-stock transaction?

6. After a decade in notebooks and stationeries, ITC is entering the hinterlands such as Tier- II cities with a new mass brand. Name it?

7. Which IT MNC has appointed Ravi Chauhan as its India managing director?

8. Which MNC has unveiled a deal to buy France’s Lafarge to create the world’s biggest cement maker?

9. Which MNC has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Lipault, a French luggage brand known for its functional and fashionable designs?

10. Which milestone has Facebook crossed in India, in terms of active users?

11. Which company is selling its New Zealand business to New Zealand’s Steel and Tube for around Rs 143 crore?

12. Retail chain Lifestyle International has signed on which celebrity as the brand ambassador for its in-house ethnic wear brand 'Melange'?

13. Which celebrity is all set to launch a global entertainment company named Antila Ventures in Dubai?

14. ETV news channels will be re-branded from April 2015. What will be the new name?

15. Which is the only Indian brand that has made it to the list of top 30 Best Retail Brands in Asia Pacific, according to the Best Retail Brands Report by Interbrand Design Forum?

16. Which cement brand has launched a new campaign questioning the ‘walls of mistrust’?

17. Which dairy major is all set to launch a new campaign with a new tagline ‘Taste that lifts you’?

18. Which MNC said it would buy Procter & Gamble’s (P&G’s) pet food brands IAMS, Eukanuba and Natura in the US and Latin America for $2.9 billion to beef up its pet food business?

19. Hindustan Unilever (HUL) plans to extend which brand into male grooming range?

20. Chinese PC-maker Lenovo has roped in which celebrity to endorse its range of smartphones in India?

21. In what appears to be a first across all its franchises globally, which fast food chain has unveiled a segregated vegetarian menu in India?

22. Which industry body has appointed Cognizant India Executive Vice Chairman R Chandrasekaran as its Chairman for the year 2014-15?

23. Which company has signed a non-binding agreement to sell its French subsidiary Voxmobili SA?

24. Which MNC has overtaken IBM to become the second-largest software vendor in India, in terms of software revenues?

25. Which business personality was last week inducted as a member of the Board of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), a rare distinction for an Indian in the Chinese government-backed influential body?

26. Which business personality was awarded a GBE (Knight Grand Cross), the only Indian among 5 foreigners to be awarded as part of the ‘Honorary British Awards to Foreign Nationals’ for 2014?

27. MTV has forayed into cosmetics, in association with Blue Heaven. What has the range been branded as?

28. U.S.-based technology company Symphony Teleca Corp (STC), has acquired which Bangalore-based tech firm?

29. Which celebrity has acquired the Jaipur franchise of IPL-styled Pro Kabaddi League?

30. Which three Indian firms have made it to the list of 100 most influential Asian companies compiled by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 524 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 523

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week March 31 - April 05. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which e-commerce company has partnered with Defense Land Systems India, a Mahindra group company, to sell bullet proof kits for Scorpio vehicles in the country?

2. Which Hyderabad-based company has acquired 29.1 per cent stake in the listed, loss-making Medinova Diagnostic Services Ltd, also headquartered in the city?

3. Which MNC has filed a patent for new technology that aims to make texting while walking safer?

4. The National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) last week announced the launch of the world’s first contract for which commodity?

5. Which business personality has taken over as chairman of retail company Trent?

6. Which Chinese handset maker has unveiled its flagship offering in style category ELIFE S5.5, claimed to be the world’s slimmest smartphone, in India?

7. Which Coimbatore-based company has acquired Italian company Fabbrica Italiana Pompe Sommergibili Srl (FIPS)?

8. ITC Foods has recently entered the health biscuits category. Name the brand?

9. Which advertising agency has partnered Rotary International on it’s first-ever India campaign, ‘Making Miracles Happen’, to mark the eradication of Polio in the South East Asia region?

10. Actor Ranveer Singh has been roped in as brand ambassador for which brand, his first endorsement deal?

11. Which business group has acquired Hindustan Motors Finance Corporation Ltd (HMFCL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the ailing automaker Hindustan Motors Ltd.?

12. Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has announced its foray into the music label space. What has the venture been named as?

13. McDonald’s India is set to go premium by rolling out big-sized burgers for adults at almost 20% more than its existing range. What has the range been branded as?

14. Which IT firm has created a new unit called ‘Change the Business Services’ that will focus on outcome-based contracts?

15. Which business group has launched its first-ever national TV corporate campaign with the tagline 'Believe in Blue'?

16. Which MNC has acquired social TV firms SecondSync and Mesagraph?

17. Which television channel has entered into a strategic content alliance with HT Media’s business daily Mint?

18. Which celebrity has launched gold bullion and jewellery company Satyug Gold?

19. Microsoft has developed a voice activated phone assistant feature, a direct rival to Apple’s Siri. What has it been branded as?

20. The Reserve Bank of India last week granted “in-principle” bank licences to which two entities?

21. Private equity firm Everstone Capital has bought a minority stake in which fashion house for Rs 100 crore?

22. Which MNC has unveiled a video streaming device dubbed Fire TV that can pipe video directly to television?

23. Dabur India is launching packaged coconut water under which brand?

24. Brendan Eich last week resigned as the CEO of which company, just two weeks after taking the job?

25. Which MNC has signed on squash player Dipika Pallikal for its latest women’s campaign ‘all in for #mygirls’?

26. Online fashion portal Myntra has roped in which actor to be the brand ambassador for its in-house range of casual wear, Roadster?

27. Which angel investor has bought a 10 per cent stake in US-based video streaming service provider YuppTV for around $2.5 million (Rs 15 crore)?

28. Not sure if I covered this earlier. Which hospitality major is planning to introduce its brand 'Edition' in India?

29. Which MNC has launched the 1.7-103 wind turbine developed and engineered specifically for India’s low wind speed conditions?

30. Which company is all set to become the first Indian e-commerce/ on air- retail company to list on the Nasdaq in the US?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 523 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeevkondapalli