Biz Quizzard 561

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

1. Which MNC has joined hands with Reliance Industries and Vipul Sarees to produce ‘environment-friendly’ sarees?

2. Which MNC has acquired India’s financial advisory start-up firm BigDecisions.com for an undisclosed sum?

3. Which MNC bank has emerged as India's top deal maker by fees earned during 2014, according to Dealogic data?

4. Which brand is being advertised as the 'The Sexiest Phone in the World'?

5. Which news channel has unveiled its signature tune developed by Brand Musiq, reflecting the different moods of the common people?

6. Which laminates brand has launched its first TVC with the message ‘My Design, My Style’?

7. Which car portal has launched its television commercial, featuring two dogs named Rocky and Bosco?

8. Procter & Gamble (P&G) has announced the sale of its Camay and Zest brands along with the transfer of a manufacturing facility in Mexico to which MNC for an undisclosed amount?

9. After a gap of two years, Walmart will open a new cash-and-carry store in India. Which city?

10. Big Bazaar, the retail chain from the Future Group, has opened an outlet in Rourkela in Odisha. Why is this special?

11. Nissan India is bringing out a utility vehicle on the same platform as the Datsun Go hatchback. What has it been branded as?

12. Full service carrier Vistara last week unveiled its tagline. What is it?

13. Which online marketplace last week announced the launch of “The Agri Store”, offering products like seeds, fertiliser and irrigation tools, among others, to farmers?

14. Which sovereign wealth fund will take controlling interest of the publicly listed Nirlon?

15. Which MNC has acquired Datalogix, a company that offers digital marketing data as a service?

16. Which company has come up with an e-zine titled Teddy Travelogues?

17. Which company has launched its latest campaign titled ‘Iss Mein Hai Kissi Ki Khushi’?

18. Which brand has unveiled its latest outdoor campaign ‘Sorry For What?’ to portray an unapologetic disregard for what is considered mainstream style and lifestyle?

19. Which television channel has launched a new campaign ‘Sleep Tight’?

20. FMCG firm Dabur has roped in which celebrity as brand ambassador for its new health supplement product ‘Ratnaprash’?

21. S Bhattacharya has been appointed as the chairman and managing director of which public sector entity?

22. Which quartz and stainless steel kitchen sink-maker and trader has acquired a 74-per cent stake in UK-based kitchen sink distribution company Homestyle Products Ltd?

23. BCCI has roped in luxury multibrand store The Collective to provide the players with which denim brand?

24. Which insurance company plans to hire Trevor Bull, former chief executive of Zurich Insurance in Malaysia, as its new head?

25. Which pharmaceutical company has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Reliance Life Sciences for marketing three biosimilars in the Indian market?

26. Tommy Hilfiger has announced which sports star as the brand ambassador for its fall 2015 underwear and tailored collections?

27. Which ceramics brand has come out with a new TVC titled ‘Zindagi Ko Chamakne Do’?

28. Which company has acquired Habitrol brand, a nicotine replacement therapy transdermal patch, from Novartis Consumer Health Inc?

29. Which NYSE-listed corporate advisory firm has teamed up with the country's biggest auditing firm Desai Haribhakti, aiming to challenge the dominance of the Big Four?

30. Hyundai has crossed which annual sales milestone in India this year?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 561 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 560

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

1. Which group wants its companies to sharpen their focus on the Indian consumer and work around 3 major themes - health and wellness, digital ecosystem and the aspirational values of consumers?

2. Dhunji Wadia has been elevated as the president of which advertising agency?

3. Which entity is India's largest company in terms of revenue, according to the Fortune 500 list of Indian companies for 2014?

4. Which business group, in partnership with a Spanish industrial company, has acquired UK’s iconic Old War Office building?

5. Which Hindi general entertainment channel has unveiled its new look, with a new logo and new proposition ‘Har Lamha Nayi Ummeed’?

6. Which company has announced a multi-film deal with writer, director and producer, Sanjay Gupta's White Feather Films to make its foray into mainstream commercial Hindi films?

7. A private equity consortium led by BC Partners Ltd has acquired which pet supply retailer in the US for $8.7 billion?

8. Reliance Capital has agreed to sell the multiplex business of Reliance MediaWorks (RMW) to which company for Rs 700 crore?

9. Which Indian drug maker has received regulatory nod to launch its indigenously developed anti-malarial drug Synriam in seven African nations?

10. Which brand has launched a new television commercial celebrating the woman of today and featuring actress Nimrat Kaur?

11. Which auto parts maker would buy assets of Germany's Scherer & Trier group for about 36 million Euros ($44.8 million) through a subsidiary?

12. Which celebrity has launched her own celebrity role-playing game ‘The Price of Fame’?

13. Which group’s homoeopathic medicine company M Bhattacharya & Co has entered into an agreement with German firm Hevert for distribution & marketing of select formulations in India?

14. Siemens Limited has surpassed which key milestone in manufacturing and delivering International Efficiency class industrial motors?

15. Which media group has announced acquisition of Music Broadcast Pvt Ltd, which operates the popular Radio City FM stations?

16. Which company has agreed to buy Talisman Energy, Canada’s fifth largest independent oil producer, for $ 13 billion?

17. Which MNC bank has agreed to sell its Hong Kong-based consumer finance business to a consortium that includes Pepper Australia Pty Ltd and a Chinese group?

18. Which brand from Britannia is being advertised with the positioning 'All good things go to Heaven'?

19. Which television channel has launched its new campaign ‘Ab Khulkar Phailegi Deewangi’?

20. Which business personality has been named the new Trustee for London’s Natural History Museum?

21. Andhra Pradesh government has appointed which business personality as the chairman of the AP Skill Development Corporation?

22. Which MNC has agreed to acquire US-based medical device maker Volcano Corp for $ 1.2 billion including debt?

23. Which MNC has forged an agreement with Magic Bus India Foundation to focus on providing health and nutrition awareness to adolescents?

24. Which jewellery brand has unveiled its latest ad campaign titled ‘Wedding’?

25. Which MNC has appointed pop star Rihanna as its new creative director?

26. An arrest a warrant was issued against a person named Vinod Hingorani last week. Why did this make news?

27. Yu, a subsidiary of India’s second largest smartphone maker Micromax, last week unveiled its first 4G device. What has it been branded as?

28. George ville Television has joined hands with The Wachowskis and J Michael Straczynski for a gripping 10 episode miniseries Sense8. George ville Television is a subsidiary of which company?

29. Which infrastructure firm has signed a definitive agreement with Dubai-based Utico FZC to sell its Chennai desalination plant?

30. Mercedes-Benz has re-branded its existing pre-owned car (POC) business in India. What is the new brand?

31. Which portal has acquired Cibando, one of Italy’s largest restaurant search services?

32. Why was Nasdaq-listed global media measurement and research company Rentrak in news in India last week?

33. Which automobile company has rolled out Captain series tippers?

34. France-based Atos will buy the information technology outsourcing (ITO) business of which MNC for $1.05 billion?

35. Walt Disney has unveiled a new ‘fat’ superhero. What is he named?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 560 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 559

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

1. For the first time in 100 years of its history, Tata Steel has been forced to do what for its Jamshedpur plant?

2. I liked this ad, for its positioning and execution. Which luggage brand is being advertised with the positioning ‘The New Face of Business’?

3. Which media CEO has received the ‘The Impact Person of the Decade – 2014’ industry award?

4. Which property portal has released a new campaign titled ‘We get you home’?

5. Harshavardhan Madhav Chitale has resigned as the MD and CEO of which IT company?

6. Which AOL-owned news website last week launched its India edition in partnership with The Times of India Group?

7. Godrej Consumer’s former managing director A Mahendran will shortly launch a new range of beverages and confectionery under his solo venture. What is the company called?

8. Which MNC has agreed to buy Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc for $ 8.4 billion in cash to add products to help fight the growing threat of drug resistant bacteria?

9. Infibeam has teamed up with which realty company to launch a new initiative that would help people book homes online by paying a token fee?

10. Reliance Industries has decided to hive off which business into a joint venture with China's Shandong Ruyi Science and Technology Group?

11. Which pharma company has launched the first biosimilar version of anti-inflammatory medicine adalimumab, the world’s top-selling drug, at a fifth of its U.S. price?

12. Which Indian bank has launched the first homegrown economic index?

13. Which two companies have joined hands to launch a first-of-its-kind airline co-branded corporate card for owners of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and their employees?

14. Which automobile MNC has chosen its production head Harald Krueger to take over as chief executive officer next year?

15. Honda Motor has hit which milestone in cumulative global motorcycle production?

16. Which premium Ayurvedic skin care brand has launched its latest campaign, ‘The Power of Purity’?

17. Which company has signed an agreement to acquire 100% shareholding in Ideal Energy Projects (IEPL), which owns a 540 megawatt coal-based thermal power project in Nagpur district?

18. HyunChil Hong will be the new managing director of the Indian operations of which MNC?

19. Which PE firm is buying the payroll processing business of Aon Hewitt for $60 million?

20. Which e-tailer has launched a digital campaign called #DressToPlay, to promote its in-house apparel brand Dressberry?

21. Who has been appointed chairman of financial inclusion start-up Vaya Finserv Private Limited?

22. Tamil actor Arya has been roped in as brand ambassador for which beverage brand?

23. Which online marketplace has acquired online gifting solution provider Wishpicker.com for an undisclosed amount?

24. Which media group has announced the setting up of a multi-faculty university in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh?

25. Which healthcare major has joined hands with the University of New South Wales, Australia, to offer its first medical e-learning course on infectious disease management in the country?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 559 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 558

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

1. According to a report last week, which city is home to the largest number of organized beauty salons in the country?

2. French flavours and fragrances producer V.Mane Fils has bought a majority stake in which Mumbai-based food and beverage ingredients supplier?

3. Which company has received a certificate from Guinness World Records for conducting an event with the most people receiving a facial simultaneously?

4. Which brand recently released an interactive video ‘Keep Trippin'?

5. Cyanogen, the company that develops CyanogenMod, the popular, custom aftermarket version of Android, has announced an exclusive partnership in India with which phone brand?

6. Which media personality has launched Quintillion Media, a pure play digital media company?

7. Which web service / brand has launched an Indian school curriculum focused education channel called Edu India?

8. ITC last month launched which new brand in the mid-premium cookies segment under the Sunfeast umbrella branding?

9. Which banking group has appointed former Credit Suisse Group AG executive Sanjeev Bajaj as chief executive officer (CEO) for India?

10. India has become the largest international market outside the US for which restaurant and delivery chain?

11. High-end American luggage brand Hartmann last week opened its first store in the country. Which city?

12. Sukaran Singh has been appointed managing director and CEO of which Tata group company?

13. Which family office has invested Rs 70 crore in Bengaluru-based property developer Total Environment in its first bet in real estate?

14. Groom India Salon & Spa will be launching a new brand that will take on the largely unorganised neighbourhood salons. Name the brand?

15. Naturals hair and beauty salon chain has roped in which celebrity as its new brand ambassador?

16. Which brand launched a new campaign 'Make love without fear' on the occasion World AIDS Day?

17. Which MNC has acquired Canadian IT security firm PasswordBox?

18. Which airport has unveiled the world’s tallest structure in chocolate?

19. Which automobile brand has launched a new campaign ‘Power when you need it’?

20. Which Indian company has roped in Tiger Woods as its global brand ambassador in a four-year deal?

21. Which MNC is claiming to be the first mobile brand to venture into a multi-brand loyalty programme, through a partnership with Payback, the multi-brand loyalty programme?

22. Harley-Davidson India has announced a strategic brand alliance with which hospitality group to offer a host of benefits to the Harley Owners Group (HOG) members in India?

23. Which 2-year-old startup is aiming to be the first Indian company to design and manufacture satellites as it gears up for a commercial launch within the next two years?

24. Which company is diversifying into a range of heat-and-eat dishes under a new brand Oyalo?

25. Which company has acquired Networkplay Media, the digital media unit of German firm Gruner + Jahr for `Rs 92 crore?

26. Which MNC has agreed to buy Friends Life Group (FLG) for about £ 5.6 billion ($8.8 billion) in stock?

27. Real estate company Unnati Fortune Group has roped in which celebrity as its brand ambassador?

28. Not sure if I have already covered this before. Global payment services company Western Union has roped in which celebrity as its brand ambassador?

29. Which handset brand from China has inked a strategic marketing and communication partnership with Viacom18, as part of its plans to enter the Indian market later this month?

30. Which Indian business personality has qualified to race at the Finali Mondiali, the world’s biggest event for Ferrari’s luxury car owners, and which will be held in Abu Dhabi from December 4-6?

31. Which company has launched a TVC to communicate the brand’s ideology ‘Tarakki Zindagibhar’?

32. Which MNC has named Patricia Barbizet as its first woman chief executive officer?

33. The online arm of which company has acquired Ishita Technologies and its three brands - Bookadda.com, Acadzone.com and Koolskool.com - in an all cash deal?

34. Google has launched a new application for the small and medium businesses (SMBs). What is it called?

35. Rishi Sunak was recently declared the Conservative party candidate for the Richmond, North Yorkshire seat for the UK general elections in May next year. How is he related to business in India?

36. Which MNC has acquired Acompli, the innovative mobile email apps provider for iOS and Android, which will give seamless email experience on mobile devices?

37. Amazon has just launched a line of premium products in USA that are only available to Prime subscription members. What has it been branded as?

38. The developer of which popular online and mobile game has signed an exclusive licensing deal with Mumbai-based Dream Theatre to sell its products here?

39. Disney India’s licensing arm has tied-up with which designer house to sell sarees, tunics and scarves?

40. Which online marketplace has launched the country’s first online Rehab and Support store to mark the International day for people with disability (on December 3)?

41. Which brand has launched a digital campaign urging people to #ChangeTheAir by renewing the PUC certificates of their smoke-spewing vehicles?

42. Which job portal has launched a new campaign, featuring a new mascot, a mouse called Mr. M, to promote the brand?

43. Which company has taken the top slot in the Indian air conditioner (AC) market for the month of September 2014, according to latest data from market research firm GfK Nielsen Retail Audit?

44. XOLO, the premium smart devices brand from Lava International, last week announced the launch of its new Omega smartphone variants. Why did this launch make news?

45. Which Indian bank as decided to sell its profit-making Russian subsidiary to Sovcombank?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 558 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli