Biz Quizzard 578

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week April 20 - 25. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which upcoming Hollywood film has emerged as the most-marketed movie in India, tying up with 50 brands for promotions?

2. Which investment fund has put in its first investment, an undisclosed amount as seed funding in the mobile phone-based beauty and wellness platform Vyomo?

3. Which brand has been the best selling car in India in 2014-15?

4. Which Indian company has launched its own proprietary social platform, Knome, for company communication?

5. Which hospitality major has launched a new corner restaurant 'Kona' at its property in London?

6. Which media group has roped in Vikram Sakhuja, global strategic development officer at GroupM, as chief executive officer and board member?

7. Which MNC is set to become the first carmaker in India to voluntarily fit anti-lock braking systems (ABS) in all its locally made vehicles?

8. Which company has acquired 51% stake in Bengaluru-based LED and solar lighting products maker Promptec Renewable Energy Solutions for an enterprise value of Rs 65 crore?

9. Mindtree co-founder Anjan Lahiri has been appointed as the chief executive officer of which IT services company?

10. Which brand will become the first Indian apparel brand to sell at and have stores within Selfridges, the premium department stores chain in UK?

11. Which company has launched a first-of-its-kind policy to cover expenses for weight loss surgery up to Rs 2.5 lakh?

12. World-renowned circus troupe Cirque du Soleil has signed a deal to sell a majority stake to which U.S. private equity firm?

13. Which automobile MNC has released a new brand signature – Passion for life?

14. Which bank, in collaboration with Tech Mahindra, launched a payment service ‘Tap-n-Pay’ based on the near-field communications (NFC) technology?

15. WhatsApp, the social messaging app now owned by Facebook, has hit which monthly active user mark?

16. Which Italian pen maker has formed a 51:49 joint venture with Matrix Distributors in India?

17. Which Nasdaq-listed company has acquired travel planning website Mygola?

18. Which MNC last week exited India through the largest bulk deal on Dalal Street till date?

19. Which country is to become the first in the world to switch off FM radio in 2017 as it goes completely digital?

20. Which MNC has launched its 'Make it Happen' campaign, featuring Kangana Ranaut and Saina Nehwal in different videos?

21. Which MNC has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire WatchDox to enhance its mobile security portfolio?

22. Which company has become the first Indian online travel agency to feature on Apple Watch?

23. Which brand has launched an innovative on-ground activity 'Wash Your Bill', where participants could quash their bill at an expensive restaurant by merely washing a few utensils?

24. Which celebrity is set to start his own chain of gyms and fitness centres under the brand name Chisel?

25. Which MNC has acquired US-based NexTable, an online table reservation platform?

26. Which cloud solutions provider has entered into an asset purchase agreement with the U.S.-headquartered mobile apps company Cintel Systems?

27. Bathroom products company HSIL Limited has roped in which celebrity as brand ambassador for the 'hindware' brand?

28. Which MNC is buying Taxon Biosciences Inc, a California-based microbiome discovery company for development of biological crop products?

29. Which apparel brand has launched its latest campaign titled ‘The Bold New Professional’?

30. Which MNC has unveiled a US wireless service, called Project Fi, as it looks for new ways to extend its reach in mobile?

31. Multi Screen Media (MSM) and BBC Worldwide have announced a strategic partnership to launch a new premium factual television channel in India. What has it been branded as?

32. Which model from Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi made its international debut in India last week?

33. Which media personality has launched EazyDiner, a restaurant reservation and concierge services platform?

34. Which company has emerged as the most attractive employer in the country, according to leading human resource consultancy Randstad?

35. Which Bengaluru-based healthcare technology start-up has announced the acquisition of Delhi-NCR based wellness solution provider FitHo Wellness?

36. Which Delhi-based automobile component manufacturer and engineering services provider last week announced its foray into the solar energy sector?

37. Facebook unveiled a new voice-calling app for Android phones last week. What is it called?

38. Online restaurant guide Zomato has entered into a global partnership with which company to enable users book cabs to the restaurant they are planning to eat at?

39. The family members of the owner of the D-Mart chain of supermarkets are buying the majority stake in which 115-year old retailer?

40. A consortium of PE investors led by Advent International along with Temasek has bought the consumer business of which company from Avantha Group for Rs 2000 crore?

41. Which company has entered into a strategic partnership with Australian construction company, Brookfield Multiplex, to deliver a range of commercial and retail, healthcare and tourism and leisure projects in India?

42. Which MNC will sell its Snapfish online photo business to former owner District Photo as it prepares to split into two companies?

43. Which bag maker has launched a new campaign urging consumers to ‘Play The Life Game’?

44. Which motorcycle brand has launched a new campaign with the positioning ‘Itna stylish ki seeti toh bajegi apne aap’?

45. Which company has agreed to buy Kallidus Inc, a US-based digital and mobile commerce solutions provider, for about $120 million?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 578 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 577

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week April 13 - 18. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which company is set to become the first Indian bank whose mobile banking application (app) will be available on the Apple Watch, to be launched in India later this month?

2. Seema Modi has quit as India head of which MNC?

3. Which company has announced signing a MoU with AREVA of France for co-operation to maximise localisation of the EPR nuclear power plant to be built at Jaitapur, Maharashtra?

4. Varun Dhawan & Gulshan Grover feature in the television commercial of which beverage brand?

5. Which hospitality major has announced the unveiling of ‘Meetings Imagined’ platform and its Meeting Services App to the region’s events planners and organizers?

6. Which MNC last week launched its ZF R1M superbike in India priced at Rs 29.43 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)?

7. Which MNC is merging two of its existing companies to float a new global analytics company called Gain Theory with three key hubs in New York, London and Bengaluru?

8. Which media agency has joined hands with the travel industry to launch the Great Indian Travel Festival, a festival to boost online holiday bookings in the country?

9. Which company has launched the first ‘Made in India’ MCB (miniature circuit breaker)?

10. Which MNC has launched the #BetterFotIt campaign in the US, it’s biggest ever women's push?

11. Which MNC has launched the #KuchPalOffline campaign asking people to take a break from virtual and get a real life?

12. Which company has rolled out a series of TVCs under ‘Sale that sells itself’ campaign?

13. Which company has rolled out an online grocery retailing pilot my247market[dot]com?

14. Which company has acquired cloud-based data firm MaplePOS to help its restaurant partners manage business better as it expands from reviews into online orders and payments?

15. Which state-owned fund has acquired SVB India Finance for Rs`300 crore, marking its foray into venture-debt lending market?

16. Which celebrity has picked up a 49% stake in Tod's Retail India Private Ltd, a venture by the Indian arm of Italian luxury shoemaker Tod's?

17. Tata Motors has made automotive history in Britain with the launch of Jaguar's newest model, an entry-level luxury saloon car, at its factory in the West Midlands region of England. What has it been branded as?

18. Digital music sales have achieved which milestone, according to the IFPI, the London-based body for the recording business?

19. Which gold financing company started a home finance company last week, leveraging its resources and branch network across the country?

20. Which country continues to be the leading nation in remittances pulling in USD 70 billion from its global migrant workforce in 2014, according to the World Bank?

21. Which automobile brand is being advertised with the positioning 'Take your world with you'?

22. Which MNC has acquired KnoahSoft, a workforce optimisation provider whose majority staffers are based in Hyderabad?

23. Which MNC has launched its new campaign 'Aur Dikhao’?

24. Which MNC is launching a series of 100 short digital videos featuring ‘Guptaji ki family’?

25. Chinese transportation robotics firm Ninebot has acquired which US rival?

26. Which taxi aggregator has acquired two-year-old Bengaluru-based ride share startup Ridingo?

27. Which MNC will buy Alcatel-Lucent in an all-share deal that values its smaller French rival at euro 15.6 billion ($16.6 billion)?

28. Who has emerged as the top-paid CEO in the US, as per the Equilar 100 CEO Pay Study?

29. Which airline is set to become the first low-cost airline in the country to launch its domestic operations in Delhi from Terminal 3?

30. Thirty three years after stepping into the market with a door-to-door, direct sales business model, which Indian brand will now shed it for a presence in brick and mortar stores?

31. Which company has acquired 51 per cent equity stake in Arhyama Energy Pvt Ltd, which is setting up a 10- MW solar power plant at Nalgonda in Telangana?

32. Which DTH service provider is advertising its Rs 8 daily recharge pack with the positioning “Daily milenge toh pyaar to hoga hi”?

33. Which beverage brand has launched its campaign with the positioning ‘Body Ka Top Up’?

34. Which MNC has launched its new campaign 'A message to space'?

35. Which company last week announced a onetime “Special Reward” of Rs 2,628 crore for its employees, the biggest bonus in India Inc's history?

36. Which online test preparation platform has acquired EasyPrep, an online platform to help students prepare for entrance exams, for an undisclosed amount?

37. Home shopping channel Star CJ has now been renamed. What is the new name?

38. Rohit Bansal and Kunal Bahl, the founders of online marketplace Snapdeal, have participated in a seed funding round in which mobile services marketplace?

39. Which MNC has agreed to buy Slovenian brewery Pivovarna Lasko in a deal valuing the company at € 224 million ($ 237 million)?

40. The East China Normal University (ECNU), one of the prestigious universities in China, has announced the appointment of which Indian CEO as Advisory Professor?

41. Which MNC last week launched a new 125cc motorcycle Saluto in India?

42. Which company will acquire majority stake in Health SuperHiway Pvt Ltd, a healthcare analytics company promoted by Indian Hospitals Corporation?

43. Which MNC has rolled out a new TVC for its Bottom Mounted Refrigerators (BMR), strengthening the brand’s core philosophy of ‘Jhukna Mat’?

44. Which MNC has agreed to buy the beverage business of China Culiangwang Beverages Holdings Ltd for $400.5 million, to get a foothold in the fast growing multi-grain drinks category?

45. Which company has agreed to buy Websense Inc from private equity firm Vista Equity Partners LLC, in a deal that values the network security company at $1.9 billion?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 577 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 576

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week April 06 - 11. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which well known e-commerce player in India will shut its website from May 1, in what seems like a definitive step towards becoming only a mobile app-based retailer?

2. Which company has launched a nationwide programme titled ‘Be a #FarmDost’ to recognize the silent contribution of farmers in feeding the nation?

3. Which bank has become the first in the country and among the few in the world to deploy voice-recognition technology for biometric authentication?

4. Which restaurant has become the first Indian restaurant to have made it to the world’s top 100 list, compiled by the fourth annual poll of readers by private jet lifestyle publication Elite Traveler?

5. Which beverage brand has unveiled a new logo, packaging design and a fresh summer campaign depicting a miniature world where everything – from people to plants – is small in size?

6. Which healthcare services provider has elevated Rajit Mehta as MD and CEO?

7. Which MNC has entered into a strategic partnership with consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to go after the Digital India projects and large enterprise deals?

8. Which Indian manufacturer of hand-knotted carpets has inked an agreement with National Geographic for producing rugs for latter's home collection for North America?

9. Rajesh Sawhney, founder of GSF Accelerator, has launched a food-technology company with four other founders. What has it been branded as?

10. What distinction is Hero MotoCorp claiming for its new bike Spendor iSmart?

11. Which real estate portal has acquired Bengaluru-based Out of Box Interaction (OoBI), a startup that designs digital interactions to help customers visualise products virtually?

12. Match making portal Matrimony[dot]com has forayed into the online dating business by launching a mobile application. What has it been branded as?

13. Which company has become India’s largest coal bed methane (CBM) producer?

14. Which Chennai-based group has acquired a majority stake in Ashok Leyland Wind Energy?

15. G Sreeram is the new managing director and chief executive officer of which private sector bank?

16. Hyderabad-based startup Aayuv Technologies Pvt Ltd has rolled out its digital health platform, which enables users to track their health without having to pay any fee. What is it called?

17. Which MNC launched its signature education programme Girls4Tech in India last week?

18. Which MNC is seeking to buy Dutch package delivery firm TNT Express for an agreed 4.4 billion euros ($4.8 billion)?

19. TIL chairman and managing director Sumit Mazumder has been elected as the President of which industry body for 2015-16?

20. Which Indian-origin term has retained its place among the top 50 business buzzwords globally, according to a latest survey by Global Language Monitor (GLM)?

21. Which mobile brand will be the new principal sponsor of IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)?

22. Which MNC has agreed to buy U.S.-based cyber-security firm Trustwave for $810 million?

23. Software industry body Nasscom (National Association of Software and Services Companies) has elected BVR Mohan Reddy as its chairman for 2015-16. He is the executive chairman of which company?

24. Which luxury car maker saw its highest monthly global sales ever in March?

25. Which DTH service provider last week unveiled a daily recharge plan of Rs 8?

26. Hospitality group Carlson Rezidor will soon bring which hotel brand to India?

27. Which MNC last week launched MobileDiagnost Opto, a digital x-ray system that helps radiologists with consistent diagnostic image quality, with mobility?

28. Online education marketplace ThinkVidya has been rebranded. What is the new name?

29. Amazon last week announced it will open a 2,80,000-square-feet fulfillment centre near which city, the company’s largest infrastructure investment in any Indian state till date?

30. Which MNC has agreed to buy British gas producer BG Group for £47 billion ($69.7 billion) in cash and stock?

31. Which company will open the largest gold jewellery retail showroom in Asia, in Chennai on April 17?

32. Which company’s CSR arm has bagged `WHO India Public Health Champion Award 2015' for its initiatives in the area of public health?

33. Which MNC will buy privately held online education company Lynda[dot]com in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $1.5 billion?

34. Which MNC’s founder Mark Pincus is returning as its CEO?

35. Which Dubai-based business conglomerate is entering the realty sector in India with an investment of Rs 500 crore in the first year?

36. Which hyper-local delivery startup has bought out My Green Box, a smartphone-based grocery delivery platform?

37. Future Group’s fashion hub fbb has roped in which actor as style ambassador?

38. Times Television Network has rebranded itself to break the perception that the network is dedicated to only television. What is the new name?

39. Which Indian drug maker has entered into an agreement to acquire 100 per cent stake in Brazil’s Duomed Produtos Farmaceuticos Ltda for about Rs 2.6 crore?

40. Which company has entered the dairy whitener segment with the brand ‘Dailycious’?

41. Which company will acquire Royal Bank of Scotland's Rs 4,500-crore diamond and jewellery financing business and related deposit portfolio in India?

42. Which Japanese cosmetic company has made its entry into India with the launch of its skincare brand Spawake, made specially keeping in mind the skincare needs of Indian women?

43. Reliance Jio Infocomm has launched its first product, a messaging app for iOS and Android cell phones. What is it called?

44. Mahindra & Mahindra plans to launch a compact sports utility vehicle (SUV), manufactured by its South Korean arm Ssangyong Motors, by the end of FY16. What has it been branded as?

45. Which company has acquired online mobile recharge platform FreeCharge in the largest buyout so far in the Indian consumer Internet sector?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 576 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 575

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week March 30 - April 04. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which company has become India's 1st steel plant to produce 10 million tonnes per annum of hot metal from a single location?

2. Which clothing retailer is set to enter India with its first store in Delhi in May, in partnership with domestic textile company Arvind Lifestyle Brands?

3. In the first deal of its kind, which MNC is picking up a 10% equity stake in Mahesh Bhupathi-promoted International Premier Tennis League?

4. HDFC recently launched its first school, named HDFC School. Which city?

5. Which ecommerce startup in the home design and decor space has acquired DezignUp, a dynamic design community and marketplace for design professionals, for an undisclosed amount?

6. Which company has launched a digital campaign '#MadnessForSure', featuring popular radio jockey and comedian Danish Sait as 'Constable Chowriappah'?

7. Which washing machine brand has launched its new television campaign ‘India Ke Rang’?

8. Which portal has launched its new campaign with the positioning ‘Car Ke Experts Sirf Ek’?

9. Katrina Kaif and Aditya Roy Kapur feature in the television commercial of which beverage brand?

10. Who has been appointed partner of the US-based philanthropic investment firm Omidyar Network and managing director of its Indian arm?

11. Which MNC has appointed Katsushi Inoue as the president and chief executive of its wholly-owned Indian car manufacturing unit?

12. Which company has acquired majority stake in the US-based Colibrium Partners and Colibrium Direct (Colibrium), a wellness automation technology firm, for an undisclosed amount?

13. Which Indian automobile company has sold its entire holding in its Czech arm to an undisclosed ‘strategic investor’ for a cash realisation of USD 10.96 million?

14. Which Indian company and US Polo Association (USPA), USA will jointly pay $3.2 million to Ralph Lauren Corporation (RLC) USA to settle a lawsuit filed by it in a US court in 2013?

15. Akshay Kumar is endorsing which denim brand with the positioning 'Addiction for life'?

16. Andhra Bank last week inaugurated a branch at Khajaguda in Hyderabad. Which milestone did it touch with this branch?

17. Giorgio De Roni has quit as the CEO of which airline in India?

18. Which health insurer in USA has agreed to buy pharmacy benefit firm Catamaran Corp in a deal worth about $12.8 billion?

19. Which company has bought Unicommerce eSolutions Pvt. Ltd, an e-commerce management software and fulfilment solution provider?

20. Mondelez India has roped in which celebrity as the new brand ambassador for Perk?

21. Which premium beauty brand from UK has opened its first India outlet in Bangalore, offering beauty services and a host of beauty products under the same brand name?

22. Which MNC will acquire Cellular Dynamics International Inc. (CDI), a leading developer and manufacturer of fully functioning human cells in industrial quantities to precise specifications?

23. PepsiCo India has roped in Anushka Sharma as the brand ambassador for which brand?

24. Which MNC is selling a majority stake in its LED and car lighting arm to a consortium led by China and US-based GO Scale Capital investment fund in a deal worth $2.8 billion?

25. Multi Screen Media (MSM) is set to launch its second sports channel, riding the popularity of the Indian Premier League (IPL). What has it been branded as?

26. Which MNC will buy Bang & Olufsen Automotive for about $157.3 million?

27. Which company has picked up a majority stake in digital financial services platform RupeePower[dot]com as part of its plans to create a financial services marketplace?

28. Which Indian knowledge and business process outsourcing company has agreed to acquire the Italian media content management company Clx Europe?

29. Ferrero India has launched its fifth product in India. What has it been branded as?

30. Which Indian company made its Nasdaq debut last week becoming India's most valued company on Nasdaq with a market capitalisation of $1.15 billion?

31. Direct to home (DTH) broadcast satellite service provider Airtel Digital TV has crossed which active household subscribers mark?

32. Which actress has launched her online jewellery venture, witengold[dot]com?

33. What distinction is Raheja Developers claiming for a penthouse it has put up for sale in its Revanta project in Gurgaon?

34. Which e-tailer has launched worldofmoms[dot]com to help women share information on motherhood?

35. Which MNC has acquired Mount Shivalik Breweries, the maker of Thunderbolt beer?

36. Which company is acquiring select brands of Belgian drugmaker UCB in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives in a euro 118 million (Rs 800 crore) deal?

37. Which company’s custom research arm Syngene has appointed Peter Bains as CEO?

38. Which company has bought out debt-laden steel maker Maithan Ispat for Rs 1,160 crore?

39. Which company has signed an agreement to sell its Hyderabad-based clinical research division to Indoco Remedies for undisclosed amount?

40. PepsiCo India is bringing which premium potato chips product from its global portfolio to India?

41. Which private equity and real estate investment firm has acquired and rebranded the Asia-Pacific payroll business of Aon Hewitt, a global human resources firm?

42. Which company has divested its entire stake in Lanka Special Steels to EB Creasy and Company Plc for 433 million Lankan rupee (about Rs 20 crore) in an all-cash deal?

43. Which paint brand has launched its new campaign ‘Fashion Trends for Walls’?

44. Which company has released a new campaign ‘Life set hai’, targeting youngsters to consider a career as insurance agents?

45. Hero Electric last week launched an electric rickshaw. What has it been branded as?

46. Which tyre maker last week said it has forayed into cricket gear business with the launch of products for sports enthusiasts?

47. Capt. Anoop Kumar Sharma has taken over as whole-time director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of which shipping company?

48. Which smartphone, tablet and laptop accessories and peripherals brand has roped in actor and anchor Manish Paul as its brand ambassador?

49. Which IPL team has hired Prakash Iyer as its chief executive?

50. A jet on its maiden world tour with 52 enthusiastic travelers, who have paid $1,20,000 for a ticket, touched down at Mumbai last week. The jet is branded with which hospitality brand?

51. Which online fashion retailer has launched its new campaign “Be real. Be true. Be you.”?

52. Which company has inked a pact to acquire Robot Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gokaldas Exports, for an undisclosed amount?

53. PepsiCo India last week commissioned the first phase of its largest beverage plant in India. Which state?

54. Which MNC has retained the top spot in luxury automobile sales in India for the second consecutive financial year in a row?

55. Which company has appointed top ranked investment strategist Farida Khambata as the first woman independent director in its 103-year history?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 575 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli