Biz Quizzard 539

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

1. Claiming to be a first of its kind in India, which company has launched 'e-Will' writing service?

2. Which Finnish handset maker is entering into the highly competitive Indian smartphone market with a tie-up with online marketplace Snapdeal.com?

3. Financial Technologies (India), or FTIL has entered into a share purchase agreement (SPA) to sell its 15% stake in MCX to which bank for Rs 459 crore?

4. Which automobile brand has launched a campaign with the positioning ‘feels that good’?

5. Reliance Industries (RIL) has become the first company in the private sector in India to touch which milestone mark for quarterly net profit?

6. Which MNC retailer has announced the appointment of Unilever executive and turnaround specialist Dave Lewis as its new CEO?

7. Which MNC has launched its much awaited compact SUV Macan in India?

8. Which lubricant manufacturer has signed an agreement with Japan's JX Nippon Oil & Energy for a joint venture in India?

9. LG Electronics has launched which premium smartphone in India, roping in Amitabh Bachchan to endorse the brand?

10. In what could be the highest-ever dividend payout by an Indian company, which company will shell out about Rs 12,750 crore to its 600,000 shareholders?

11. Which drug firm has taken a majority stake in the Indian branded generics business of Bafna Pharmaceuticals for Rs 48.1 crore?

12. Two years after deciding to “scale down sales effort in the Indian market”, which Danish wind power major has returned to India?

13. California-based Qliktag Software, a mobile technology company, has acquired which social media and digital agency based in Pune?

14. Who is Hollywood's highest paid actor for the second consecutive year, with estimated earnings of $75 million, according to Forbes.com?

15. Alok Sharma, ex-Air Sahara chief, has been given a no objection certificate (NOC) by the aviation ministry to start a regional airline. What will it be branded as?

16. Which online fashion brand has launched its latest television ad campaign featuring Esha Gupta?

17. Volkswagen Pune plant has reached which milestone recently?

18. Which automobile MNC has launched its latest corporate campaign in India, using its logo as the symbol and metaphor for its commitment to enable people to achieve their goals?

19. Mercedes Benz last week launched its much-awaited compact sedan in India. Name the brand?

20. Which international airline has launched its first television campaign for the Indian market with ‘Non Stop You’ positioning?

21. Which MNC drug maker has announced the appointment of Jitendra Tyagi as its India head?

22. Which South Indian actor-turned-politician has tied up with Universal Sportsbiz, which sells celebrity memorabilia, to launch her own line of ethnic and fusion apparel?

23. Which MNC has announced its collaboration with ecommerce giant Amazon India to launch imaginative LED lightings for kids in association with Disney?

24. Which public sector bank has announced the appointment of Santanu Mukherjee as its new managing director?

25. TCS has become the first Indian company to cross which market capitalization milestone?

26. Which MNC is spending $175 million to buy Bizo, a provider of advertising technology and measurement services aimed at professionals?

27. PVR Cinemas, the largest cinema exhibition company in India, has surpassed which milestone, in terms of number of properties?

28. Which brand from The Hindu stable, a supplement till now, is being launched as a separate offering?

29. What is being claimed as a first by Tata Sky with a recent launch in education category?

30. Which company has launched a television commercial for its pain killer brand Nise gel, as part of a movie promotion tie-up with Salman Khan’s Kick??

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 539 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 538

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

1. Which MNC will pay a record 750 million pounds ($1.3 billion) to supply Manchester United with shirts and kit?

2. Which UK-based restaurant group with over 60 outlets in Europe, India and the Middle East, has been sold to a Chinese private equity firm for £900 million ($1.53 billion)?

3. Which actress has been signed on as the brand ambassador for Hero Motocorp?

4. Which MNC has launched ‘Ah My God’, its first India-specific television commercial?

5. Myntra.com has signed on which celebrity as its brand ambassador and the face for its fast fashion in-house brand DressBerry?

6. Which company has launched 'Sapne Huye Apne', a campaign to be run in movie theaters, to promote its sanitary ware products?

7. Which German media company plans to roll out an edutainment channel in India later this year?

8. Which online marketplace in India has roped in renowned watch designer and connoisseur Michael Foley to curate the portal’s watch store based on the latest trends and styles?

9. Which Indian healthcare provider has teamed up with Dubai-based Emirates airline to connect international patients seeking healthcare in India?

10. Which company had acquired US-based Pharmalucence Inc, which has sterile injectable capacity and research capabilities?

11. Which cigarettes maker will buy rival Lorillard in a cash-and stock deal valued at $27.4 billion?

12. Which company has sold its wholly-owned French subsidiary Voxmobili to U.S.-headquartered cloud solutions firm Synchronoss Technologies?

13. Jones Lang LaSalle, the professional services firm specializing in real estate, has unveiled a modified name and a new logo. What will it be now called?

14. Which MNC has acquired news alert provider Newsle, a San Francisco-based start-up that that allows users to get real-time alerts on social media platforms about connections?

15. Bata India has begun selling which new product under the name ‘Bata & I’ in its stores?

16. Which non-profit organization has launched a video campaign named ‘Check the Label’?

17. Which television channel has launched the campaign ‘Step Up. Discover’?

18. A Chennai-based startup has unveiled a website which connects its users with friends online who can give recommendations and feedback on products the person wants to buy. What is it called?

19. Which company, a joint venture between Greenwich Equity Partners and Jagran Infra Projects, has decided to foray into Indian cable television market in tie-up with Bhima Riddhi Digital Services?

20. Which MNC last week inked a marketing deal with long time rival Apple, which will see its sales force recommend Apple's devices to customers?

21. Which company has unveiled a new brand, ‘Clinogent’, in the clinical development industry to offer integrated clinical trial outsourcing solutions to customers across the world?

22. Philadelphia-headquartered West Pharmaceutical Services last week inaugurated its first India factory. Which state?

23. B Ashok has taken over as full time chairman of which public sector giant?

24. Which media company has appointed former Star India CEO Sameer Nair as the Group CEO?

25. Premier League champion Manchester City has signed on which automobile MNC as the first global sponsor of its portfolio of clubs?

26. Which beverage brand has launched its new campaign ‘It’s good to be alive’?

27. Nikesh Arora has quit as Chief Business Officer of which MNC?

28. Which Indian mutual fund will launch a World Brand Fund?

29. Which well known international business magazine's publisher has agreed to sell a majority stake of its media business to Integrated Whale Media Investments?

30. Which company has acquired the technology and services arm of Canada's ATCO group I-Tek for $195 million (Rs 1,170 crore)?

Please mail your answers to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 538 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 537

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

1. Which city has unveiled plans to build the world's largest shopping mall?

2. Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group recently crossed which market capitalisation milestone?

3. Hindustan Unilever has launched a toothpaste to counter Colgate’s Visible White, a whitening toothpaste that claims to make teeth a few shades lighter. What has it been branded as?

4. Which media agency has rebranded its public relations audit arm, Eikona?

5. Which company is acquiring 18.8% stake in Holiday Club Resorts Oy, a Finland-headquartered vacation ownership company, for €13 million?

6. Which infrastructure company has appointed MS Mehta, a former group chief executive officer of Vedanta Resources, as CEO?

7. Which MNC last week launched its Cyber Forensics Centre in Hyderabad to undertake complex cyber forensic and compliance-related investigations?

8. A mobile wallet service from US telecom companies AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon is abandoning its name. Which name and why?

9. It is finally official. Which retail MNC has decided to exit India, less than four years after it opened its first store in the country?

10. Which well known international publication has shut its India Ink blog, "the first ever country-specific" news site after a nearly three-year run?

11. Which brand has launched its new campaign, featuring Akshay Kumar and showcasing its new product line (portable Smartphone chargers, LED lights and home lights)?

12. Which Indian business school has tied up with Harvard Business School (HBS) to train taxmen to become more citizen friendly and responsive?

13. Philips India has roped in which actor as the brand ambassador for the company’s Male Grooming range?

14. The promoter family of which company has become a strategic investor in Businessworld (BW) magazine?

15. Which Indian company is ranked at the 96th position in the latest Fortune Global 500 list of world's biggest firms?

16. Which company has made a strategic investment in Bangalore-based startup ArrayStorm Lighting, which is innovating in the LED lighting space for commercial segments?

17. Which Argentinean luxury brand, a polo lifestyle company known for its apparels, technical equipment and accessories, has started it operations in India with a maiden store in Delhi?

18. Finland-headquartered packaging MNC Huhtamaki will be acquiring which Indian company for Rs 818 crore in a bid to increase its footprint in Indian, West Asia and Africa markets?

19. Which airline is all set to become the first carrier in the country that will allow passengers to directly go to the airport security gates if they have an electronic boarding pass or e-pass?

20. Which city has topped Bangkok and Paris as the world's most popular destination, according to the Mastercard Global Cities Index report?

21. Which celebrity has been signed on as the face of HEROINE, a premium brand from the house of Jinaam Dress Pvt Ltd?

22. The managing director of which company has been appointed as the national president of the Employers' Federation of India (EFI)?

23. Which digital agency has made its second acquisition in India by taking over technology firm iThink InfoTech?

24. Which company will sell its BPO business in the US, the Philippines and Costa Rica to Paris-based outsourcing firm Teleperformance for $610 million (about Rs 3,638 crore)?

25. Which MNC has sold its Slim-Fast brand to Kainos Capital, a U.S.-based private equity firm focused on the food and consumer sector?

Plesae mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 537 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 536

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week June 30 - July 05. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which company has been voted ‘India's best company to work for' for the fifth year running, in a survey carried out by ET and Great Place to Work Institute?

2. Cerana Beverages has announced that it will be launching its craft beer brand within two months. Name the brand?

3. Which company has acquired Mumbai-based startup Beans & Intellect Financial Technology to enhance its wealth and asset management solutions?

4. Jaguar India has signed on which celebrity to feature in a new TV advertisement for XJ luxury sedan?

5. Which well known brand has launched a new television commercial titled ‘Joy in Snow’?

6. Google Inc is shutting down which social networking service?

7. Which startup is making its first acquisition by buying Singapore-based social media analytics company Webfluenz?

8. Which online restaurant guide has acquired New Zealand's MenuMania for an estimated `Rs 5 crore in an all-cash deal?

9. London-based Globo will acquire the services business of which Bangalore-based startup that makes mobile apps for enterprises?

10. Which business group has appointed Gopichand Katragadda as group chief technology officer?

11. Swedish multinational Assa Abloy has signed an agreement to acquire locks and hardware business under which brand from Pooja Hardware?

12. Which well known MNC retailer recently opened its first city-centre store in the district of Altona, Hamburg?

13. Meru Cabs promoter Neeraj Gupta and retailing veteran K Radhakrishnan have come together to launch a neighbourhood shopping chain for perishable items in Mumbai. Nam the brand?

14. Getit Infomedia has roped in which celebrity to endorse ASKME, the new-age local discovery app?

15. TV18 Broadcast Network has announced the launch of the first Gujarati business news channel. What has it been branded as?

16. Who is the most powerful celebrity in the world with earnings of about USD 115 million, according to a Forbes list released last week?

17. Which state has recorded the highest per-capita milk availability, according to a report by Assocham?

18. Which MNC has acquired streaming music service Songza in its latest move to play a bigger role in the fast-growing online music business?

19. Which MNC has agreed to acquire TapCommerce, a company that specialises in targeting app consumers?

20. Which company has announced the merger of its global film and media services business with Prime Focus Ltd (PFL) to create the world’s largest and most integrated media services group?

21. Which TV actress has been roped in as the face of MATRIX India's hair colour brand SoColor?

22. Ramesh Chauhan, founder of soft drink brands such as Thums Up and Limca, is all set to return to the aerated beverages market with a functional drink. What has it been branded as?

23. Which bank has launched an online store, themorestore.in, where its customers can now redeem their reward points for purchase of merchandise from an online catalogue?

24. Which Indian IT company has signed a joint venture agreement with Saudi Arabia-based Midad Holding, expanding its footprint in West Asia.?

25. Which recently appointed chief executive will be the highest paid professional CEO of an Indian company?

26. Who is the wealthiest living US entrepreneur, with an estimated net worth of $ 80.2 billion, according to Wealth-X?

27. Which MNC will buy U.S.-based SAC Wireless, which installs wireless network equipment?

28. Which MNC is acquiring video advertising company LiveRail in the it’s latest step to make video ads a bigger part of its business?

29. Which multi system operator (MSO), in association with Eros Now, has now entered into the movie streaming service?

30. Which company has redesignated Suneeta Reddy as its Managing Director?

31. According to a report last week, India has become the sixth largest market by volume sales for which MNC, overtaking Germany?

32. Which Pune-based mobile technology company has announced its entry into the South Indian market with a range of tablet PCs?

33. An entity owned by Pune-based property developer Panchshil Realty and US-based private equity (PE) company Blackstone has bought a majority stake in which iconic building in Mumbai?

34. Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) last week launched a new bike CD 110 Dream. Why is this bike special to the company?

35. Which company has launched a differentiated noodle, measuring just 3 cm in length?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 536 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli