Biz Quizzard 604

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

1. Which smartphone maker is the new title sponsor of the Indian Premier League (IPL)?

2. Which advertising firm has acquired majority stake in Fountainhead Entertainment, a Mumbai-based entertainment, events and activation agency?

3. The ET Awards for Corporate Excellence 2015 were announced last week. Who is the Business Leader for the Year?

4. Which business group is planning to list its Mauritius-based holding company for carbon black, SKI Carbon Black (India) in overseas markets?

5. Which Denmark-based pump solutions company has entered the Indian market and is offering its products through its distributor Seashell Marine in Kakinada?

6. After years of intense lobbying with several countries, China has finally bagged its first ever overseas bullet train project. Which country?

7. Which brand was the most successful launch in India in 2014, according to The Strategist Brand Derby by Business Standard?

8. Which shampoo brand has launched a new campaign aimed at the cricket obsessed Indian guy?

9. Which real estate aggregator platform has acquired Oryden Tech Labs, a creative & design studio based out of Ahmedabad for an undisclosed amount?

10. Which company will buy Noah Consulting, which provides information management consulting services in the oil and gas sector, for $70 million in cash?

11. Which company has acquired Bengaluru-based privately held engineering services firm, Concept to Silicon Systems (C2SiS)?

12. Which electrical goods company has launched a campaign with the positioning ‘Built for Young Energy’?

13. Which skin care / beauty care brand has launched a new campaign featuring actress Genelia Deshmukh?

14. Swedish contract drug manufacturing firm Recipharm has acquired 74% equity stake in which Indian privately held sterile injectable manufacturing firm for 671 crore?

15. Which celebrity has launched her own fashion private label brand called “All About You” on fashion app Myntra?

16. Which company has launched an intra-city logistics aggregator platform called SmartShift, which will act as an exchange platform for cargo owners and transporters?

17. Which taxi aggregator has forged a global alliance with Europe's taxi service, Taxis G7, to launch eCab in India?

18. Which startup has roped in LinkedIn India’s Managing Director Nishant Rao, as its Chief Operating Officer, with effect from November 2015?

19. Which global leader in dermatology has forayed into therapeutic hair care category in India with the launch of Qilib?

20. Which company will acquire the external IT business of the Volvo Group for $138 million (Rs 895 crore)?

21. Which celebrity has launched an online gifting e-commerce brand named sendmygift[dot]com?

22. Which global integrated financial house is all set to launch its new television commercial, titled "When is the right time?"?

23. Which Indian IT major has formed a global alliance partnership with Tableau Software?

24. Which MNC has launched a new television commercial as part of its ongoing ‘Pay with Confidence’ campaign?

25. Which tower company will buy a 51% stake in India's Viom Networks in the largest inbound acquisition so far this fiscal year?

26. Arun Sawhney will retire as the CEO of which pharma company on October 31?

27. Which company has promoted COO Bimal Dayal as CEO designate with immediate effect?

28. Which company will acquire Goldman Sachs' Indian mutual fund business for Rs 243 crore?

29. Which celebrity has announced his association with DCtex Furnishings and has curated a new upholstery and curtain collection, `Iconic', and `Dream Runner', launched last week?

30. Which MNC will buy memory chip maker SanDisk Corp, led by India-born Sanjay Mehrotra, in a deal valued at about $19 billion?

31. Which hospitality major has announced its partnership with wellness expert and ex Miss Universe Lara Dutta as the newest Asia Pacific well-being brand advocate?

32. Which Indian drug manufacturer has signed a deal with Johnson & Johnson to buy seven of its brands in the dermatology, antiemetic and pain management segments?

33. Hong Kong-listed women's footwear retailer C.banner International Holdings will buy which 255-year-old British toy shop for around £100 million ($154.32 million)?

34. YouTube will launch a $10-a-month subscription option in the United States on October 28 that will allow viewers to watch videos from across the site without interruption from advertisements. What has it been branded as?

35. Ratan Tata and credit card player American Express have made an undisclosed investment in which US-based digital currency startup?

36. Which company will soon launch Devaaya, an atta (flour) brand, which will be marketed as toxic metal free?

37. Which online marketplace for puja material and services including booking of priests, launched last week, has roped in actress Ameesha Patel as its brand ambassador?

38. Which beer brand has unveiled its new commercial featuring Daniel Craig as James Bond as part of its integrated global ‘Spectre’ campaign?

39. Which jewellery retailer has launched a new television commercial featuring Deepika Padukone and her parents?

40. Former Igate HR head Srinivas Kandula will be the new India CEO of which MNC?

41. Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) has crossed which sales milestone during the Navratra-Dusshera period?

42. Which actress has had a pair of jeans named after her following the collaboration with the brand New York and Company?

43. Which actress is now officially a store owner after opening her first draper James Retail outlet in Nashville, Tennessee, USA?

44. Which Indian IT major has partnered Symantec to provide analytics-driven security services?

45. Which company last week inaugurated its first BusZone, an exclusive bus dealership near Chennai?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 604 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 603

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

1. Which country is the most valued nation brand, according to the latest report by London-based Brand Finance?

2. Which cosmetics major recently revealed its local sustainability initiatives of ‘Sharing Beauty With All’ (SBWA) for India?

3. Which Singapore-based private equity firm has purchased a controlling stake of over 51% in domestic auto components maker SJS Enterprises for an estimated Rs 350 crore?

4. In one of the largest healthcare deals in West Asia, which Dubai-based Indian billionaire has acquired majority stake in Sanad hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for Rs 1,600 crore?

5. Which atta (wheat flour) brand has released its new campaign with the theme, ‘Khali pet jung nahi jeeti jaati’?

6. Which online marketplace held its ‘Bigger than the Biggest Thank You Sale’ between October 5 and 10, 2015 in celebration of reaching 1 crore customers?

7. Which telecom MNC has appointed Sharad Mehrotra as chief executive officer of India operations?

8. Who has won this year’s Nobel memorial prize in economic sciences for “his analysis of consumption, poverty and welfare”?

9. Which MNC has made its first acquisition in India by taking over Bengaluru-based IT security company Pawaa for an undisclosed amount?

10. Which MNC has agreed to buy data storage company EMC Corp in a $67-billion record technology deal?

11. The Economic Times, in association with IIM Udaipur and Futurescape, released its 'The Best Companies for CSR' ranking last week. Which company has topped the list?

12. Which food and beverage company is working with a licensing partner to market a line of mobile phones and accessories in China in the next few months?

13. Which MNC has said it will take bookings of its premium sports utility vehicle Trailblazer exclusively on Amazon[dot]in?

14. Which travel company has acquired British hotel booking portal LateRooms[dot]com from German rival TUI Group for £8.5 million (about Rs 84 crore)?

15. Which company has acquired Canada's Zalicus Pharmaceuticals, a company engaged in the development of a pain management drug candidate coded Z944?

16. Which company in the power sector has appointed N Venugopala Rao as its chief executive officer?

17. According to a report published by Nasscom in association with research firm Zinnov, India has overtaken which country to become the third largest startup base?

18. Which airline last week said that it will restart the world’s longest 19-hour flight service?

19. Which media company has become the first Indian music curator for Apple Music?

20. Which organization has launched a recruitment campaign with the positioning ‘Live a life less ordinary’?

21. Which dairy company has announced its brand association with celebrity chef Ranveer Brar?

22. Aijaz Tobaccowalla has resigned as the India managing director of which drug major?

23. Which MNC has rolled out a new campaign, ‘Chance Pe Dance’, to promote its washing machine exchange offer?

24. Which company is venturing into regional cinema production and has signed a deal with Eros International for co-producing a Marathi movie, Guru, which will be released in January 2016?

25. Which MNC is setting up its first elevator manufacturing facility in India at Pune?

26. Which Hong Kong-based heavy duty truck maker has partnered with recently established Hyderabad-based Overland Trucking Pvt Ltd to introduce its range of mining trucks in India?

27. Which internet-based TV streaming service provider last week officially entered Indian market with 200 plus channels in 12 languages?

28. Which multi-brand certified used car company has acquired the business assets of pre-insurance inspection services firm Autorisk Management Services?

29. Paytm has introduced which new payment option in its Wallet app that can be used by any shopkeeper or taxi driver to accept digital payments without internet connection?

30. Which chief executive is the only Indian among the world’s 100 top CEOs in the Harvard Business Review’s (HBR’s) ‘Best Performing CEOs in the World’ report?

31. Which MNC last week launched its luxury SUV ‘GLE’ in India?

32. Which MNC has replaced Hyundai as the automobile partner with the International Cricket Council (ICC)?

33. Which MNC has appointed Omid Kordestani, a former chief business officer of Google, as its new executive chairman?

34. Which well known advertising personality recently launched his book 'Pandeymonium' in Mumbai?

35. Which cement brand has launched its new campaign, featuring wrestler 'The Great Khali'?

36. Which hotel has been declared the best palace hotel in the world for 2015 by Trip Advisor, based on traveller feedback from around the world?

37. Which MNC has agreed to sell a major chunk of its U.S. commercial lending business to Wells Fargo & Co?

38. Which company has announced the launch of 'Mexitos' - a new brand in the Nacho chips segment?

39. Maruti Suzuki has launched a campaign to promote a limited edition variant of Swift. What has it been sub-branded as?

40. Which city has been ranked world No. 1 in office rental yields, according to a Knight Frank Global Cities report released last week?

41. Which company has roped in stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma (for North) and Baahubali actor Rana Daggubati (for South) to promote its new Bolt range of entry-level smartphones?

42. Which 80-year old iconic pumps brand has roped in actors Om Puri and Rohini Hattangadi as audio brand ambassadors?

43. Which hospitality company is making its India debut with the signing of a management agreement with Moonriver Resorts to operate a resort in Munnar?

44. Mahindra Two Wheelers last week launched a 300 cc bike in the country. What has it been branded as?

45. Which automobile MNC has launched its high performance M range in India?

46. Which iconic brand in India has come up with the first-ever interactive activity book for young audiences called 'Blippable', by associating with Blippar, the augmented reality platform?

47. On the eve of international 'No Bra Day', which online content creator executed a campaign called #BinBraDin to create awareness about breast cancer?

48. Which company last week rolled out two new products - the Supro Van in the passenger van segment and the Supro Maxitruck in load carrier category?

49. Which 90-year-old Mumbai-based fragrance company has got Sebi nod for its Rs 500-crore maiden IPO?

50. Which business group last week entered the pure-play ecommerce space by launching a fashion portal, abof[dot]com, which sells about 55 brands, including those of the parent group?

51. Which company is planning to launch its own brand of 4G smartphones under the brand ‘LYF’?

52. Which company has sold its entire 71.19 per cent stake in Swaraj Automotives Ltd (SAL), a manufacturer of seats and seat mechanisms, to b4S Solutions for Rs 24.84 crore?

53. Which business group has launched its UUS Home Design Studio in Phoenix Market City Mall in Pune?

54. Marico has roped in which celebrity as brand ambassador to introduce its next-generation Livon Serum?

55. TVS Motor has roped in which celebrity as “Brand Philosophy Evangelist” for its scooterette ‘Jupiter’?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 603 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 602

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

1. Which business personality has become the first Indian national to buy a wine farm in South Africa?

2. ITC will make its debut in the dairy market this Diwali. Which product and under which brand?

3. Which MNC has acquired Irish video game engine and 3D physics provider Havok from Intel?

4. European networks TERN (Television Entertainment Reality Network) SES has tied up with which company to launch Insight, a UHD (ultra- high definition) factual entertainment channel, in India?

5. Which business group has signed an initial agreement to buy two ready to build coal-fired power plants from Welspun Group for Rs 400 crore?

6. Which premium lifestyle brand has unveiled its new campaign with the baseline ‘Join the Labellion’?

7. Which diamond brand has rolled out a new ad campaign in India – ‘It’s A Long Journey to Become the One’?

8. Which Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) is making its first foray into international format with ‘I Can Do That’?

9. Which brand has launched its new film ‘Last’, which celebrates not only the last athlete who crosses the finish line, but also the imperfect journey of every runner?

10. In what is possibly the single largest philanthropic donation by the Indian-American community, which couple has announced a $100 million gift to New York University's School of Engineering?

11. Which MNC has filed a patent application titled "Lightguide With Multiple In-Coupling Holograms For Head Wearable Display"?

12. Which ecommerce major is opening a fulfillment centre in Hyderabad, its largest so far and 16th warehouse in the country?

13. Tata Chemicals will create a new umbrella brand for its foods portfolio. Name the brand?

14. Which fund is picking up a minority stake in SportyBeans that runs multi-sports programmes for children?

15. Which business process management and technology startup has acquired US-based Benchmark Systems, a healthcare applications services provider, in an all-cash deal?

16. Which MNC last week named co-founder Jack Dorsey as its permanent CEO?

17. Which MNC has rolled out its new brand campaign, ‘Crafted for Car Lovers’?

18. Which agency and Encompass are coming together to form what they claim will be the largest BTL (below-the-line) marketing network in India?

19. Which premium fabric brand last week launched two new ranges of premium shirting fabrics, called Immaculate and Tencel?

20. Which brand is the world’s most valuable brand, according to Interbrand’s 16th annual Best Global Brands report?

21. Ashok Vemuri has quit as the CEO of which IT company?

22. Microsoft last week unveiled its first laptop. What has it been branded as?

23. Which chocolate brand has launched a new brand identity, including a new brand descriptor 'the golden experience'?

24. Which company has claimed to have become India’s first ‘Water Positive’ infrastructure company?

25. Which international airline has unveiled an all-digital Diwali campaign on a global scale on October 1?

26. Flipkart has launched a grocery delivery service on Google Play store. What has it been branded as?

27. Which online classifieds portal has launched its first ever buyer-focused campaign through two TVCs, ‘Start-up nahi, Start Ab’ and ‘Friends ke saath life set kar’?

28. Japanese housing and building materials trading firm Sumitomo Forestry has bought a 26% stake in which company for about $14 million (Rs 91 crore), making it the first foreign direct investment in furniture manufacturing in the country?

29. Sports broadcaster ESPN, owned by ABC and an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Co, has signed a “long term multi-year agreement” with which media company in India?

30. How many families from India feature in Forbes Asia's inaugural ranking of the top 50 Asian business dynasties?

31. In a first, which telecom company in India is offering free life insurance to all its customers?

32. Which celebrity is set to take control of Kerala Blasters, the Kochi-based Indian Super League (ISL) franchise, by raising his stake?

33. Which business group has entered into a partnership with Abraaj Group to build a large scale renewable energy platform by focusing on developing utility-scale solar power plants in India?

34. Which international tyre major is looking to enter two-wheeler segment in India, as it aims to become a leading player in the country?

35. Which kids channel is all set to launch HD feed and will become India’s first HD channel in the kids’ entertainment space?

36. Maruti Suzuki India has rolled out a limited edition of Alto K10. What has it been sub-branded as?

37. Which two-wheeler brand has launched a campaign titled ‘Khushiyon Ka Jackpot’?

38. Which company has acquired a majority stake in Australia-based Transtar International Freight?

39. Tourism New Zealand has roped in which actor as the brand ambassador for India?

40. Phone directory app Truecaller’s user base in India has crossed which milestone mark?

41. Which company has said it will sell its stake in CG Lucy Switchgear to its UK-based joint venture partner for over Rs 42 crore?

42. Gajanan Pendharkar, 81, died in Mumbai last week. He was the chairman of which company?

43. Fashion brand Louis Philippe has made a foray into high-end watches under which brand?

44. Which handset maker last week forayed into the into the laptop segment with the launch of ‘Lapbook’?

45. Which Bengaluru-based lifestyle brand has entered the lucrative fashion apparel and accessories market with the launch of its ‘Collection One’ range?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 602 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 601

 Prepare for Tata Crucible with Biz Quizzard. Are you planning to participate in Tata Crucible Corporate Quiz 2015 and want to brush up on your current affairs? Biz Quizzard is sharing its archives. Get access to one year of Biz Quizzard editions for Rs 1500. 52 weeks (starting August 4, 2014), more than 2200 questions along with answers. For full details, please contact on rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com . Sample question (Q 5, Biz Quizzard 545) : Japan's Panasonic has joined hands with which business group to develop a compact water purification system for India? Answer: Tata Group     

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week September 28 - October 03. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Land Rover has come out with its first armored vehicle, priced at a whopping €4,00,000. What has it been branded as?

2. Switchgear products and fan maker Standard, a part of Havells India, has roped in which celebrity as brand ambassador?

3. Which chat-based personal assistant app will acquire Mumbai-based startup Niffler for an undisclosed amount?

4. According to a report last week, India Inc’s equity fund raising has already crossed which mark in 2015 so far?

5. Which online marketplace has rolled out a new communication campaign ‘Get Real’ to educate the stakeholders on the negative effects of selling or promoting fake products?

6. Not sure if I have covered this before. In what could be the first listing of an Indian software products company in nearly one and half decade, which security software firm plans to raise Rs 1,000-1,200 crore through an initial public offer?

7. Which lingerie and nightwear brand has released a new digital campaign about women innerwear taboos, featuring copywriter-turned-comedian Neeti Palta?

8. Which MNC has ended its 12-year third-party manufacturing contract with Kolkata-based SAJ Food Products?

9. Online hotel aggregator Goibibo[dot]com has launched a budget accommodation platform. What has it been branded as?

10. China's largest transportation app Didi Kuaidi has invested in which Indian ride hailing app?

11. According to a report last week, India has overtaken which country as the largest consumer of cashew?

12. Which company has launched a new television commercial for its latest diamond jewellery collection offering, Zuhur?

13. Which information technology services company has acquired the IT business of Blue Star Infotech for Rs 181 crore?

14. Which Indian company has declared its Brazilian unit bankrupt and has filed for protection in the country?

15. Which US-based IT services company has acquired Chennai-based Sybrant Technologies for an undisclosed amount?

16. Which online furniture marketplace has announced the acquisition of 53central[dot]com, a crowd bargaining platform that enables group buying options for sports enthusiasts worldwide?

17. Which German publisher will buy a further 88 percent of news website Business Insider for $343 million?

18. Which online ethnic store has rolled out an integrated campaign, with the soundtrack 'Aaj Jane Ki Zidd Na Karo'?

19. Zee is launching a television channel for French-speaking African audiences. What has it been branded as?

20. In what is claimed to be the biggest transaction for any single end-user commercial real estate sale in India, which MNC has bought 4.35 lakh sq ft in Godrej BKC at Mumbai for Rs 1,479 crore?

21. Which American fashion designer is stepping down as chief executive officer in his namesake company?

22. Which MNC has agreed deals to expand sales of its Cailler premium chocolate brand worldwide, marking its entry into the global super-premium chocolate segment?

23. Which company has signed a three-year bat endorsement deal with Indian cricketer Suresh Raina?

24. Which company has acquired the business assets of the pharmaceutical manufacturing unit of Acacia Life sciences located at Visakhapatnam on a going concern basis?

25. Looks like it is raining records in commercial real estate. Which business group is claiming to have struck the country's biggest-ever single asset real estate deal when it bought over Larsen and Toubro's Elante Mall in Chandigarh for Rs 1,785 crore recently?

26. Which MNC, in partnership with filmmakers Ridley Scott, Richie Mehta and Anurag Kashyap, will come out with a film project titled ‘India in a Day’ that will capture the essence of evolving India over a 24-hour period?

27. In a first, auto-major Maruti Suzuki is planning to send cars manufactured in Gurgaon and Manesar, near Delhi, to Kolkata via which transport mode on a pilot basis in October?

28. Which personality from the automobile industry has been honoured with the lifetime achievement award at the Forbes India Leadership Awards (FILA), 2015?

29. Which Taiwanese smartphone major has partnered with Foxconn and will start local manufacturing of smartphones at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh?

30. Which bank has become the first institution worldwide to launch mVisa - a card-less and device-less solution the payments company is betting on in the mobile space?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 601 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli