Biz Quizzard 596

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week August 24 - 29. Hope you enjoy it.

1. According to a report last week, who was the best-paid (including ESOPs) CEO of an Indian company in the last financial year?

2. Which company has entered into an exclusive tie-up to launch a slew of premium products of Italy-based global sanitaryware brand ISVEA in India?

3. Which portal has launched the campaign ‘Daastaan’ that seeks to bring together those separated at partition with things that they held dear?

4. Phaneesh Murthy-promoted PM Health & Life Care last week launched its health exchange platform. What has it been branded as?

5. Taxi hailing service Uber Technologies last week launched in how many more Indian cities?

6. This is the best Rakshbandhan ad I have seen. Which social entertainment and video company has launched a campaign urging people not to use cuss words which imply abuse to any sister?

7. Which global ride sharing service has launched its first TVC in India titled 'The Travelling Blobs'?

8. Which life insurance company has launched a television commercial with the positioning 'Sachchi Advice sirf apne hi dete hain'?

9. Flipkart last week introduced a social shopping application (chat feature). What has it been branded as?

10. Which company has given US University Carnegie Mellon $35 million to fund a new facility and student scholarships?

11. Which Chinese handset maker has named Mike Wang as the new India CEO?

12. Which app-based fashion retailer has acqui-hired Trialkart, a startup that gives a virtual dressing room experience to users?

13. Which company has entered into an agreement with Malaysia's Wasco Energy for setting up an Rs 200-crore greenfield concrete weight coating plant at Anjar in Gujarat?

14. Which San Francisco based fitness bands company has formally entered the Indian market by launching its complete range of fitness bands both online and offline?

15. Which company is entering the business to consumer segment by launching Autosure, which is a facility to test cars?

16. Which bathroom solutions brand has unveiled its new TVC with ‘Special memories need a special place’ as its central theme?

17. Which travel search firm has acquired Square Hoot Hikes, the company that owns the Gurgaon-based inter-city cabs aggregator Rutogo, for an undisclosed amount?

18. Which adtech firm last week sold its India business to Gurgaon-based SVG Media for an undisclosed amount?

19. Which oilfield services company has agreed to buy Cameron International Corp, which makes equipment used by oilfield services providers, in a deal valued at $14.8 billion?

20. Which company last week acquired wireless broadband firm Augere's India operations?

21. Which Chinese smartphone maker has entered into the Indian market with the launch of one of its premium handset ‘Speed7’?

22. Which company has acquired the brand licensing rights of Ridley Bikes Belgium for India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar for a period of 33 years?

23. Sanjay Kapoor has quit as the chairman of which mobile phone maker?

24. Which Chinese group has bought the organizer of Ironman Triathlon races for $650 million?

25. Which dating app has released its first TV campaign called 'Boy Browsing'?

26. Which US-headquartered global system integrator has signed a definitive agreement with Cyient (formerly Infotech Enterprises) to acquire its subsidiary, Infotech Enterprises IT Services (IEITS)?

27. Noel Biderman has stepped down as the CEO of which well known website?

28. Online grocery venture BigBasket has roped in which celebrity for its new campaign?

29. Obi Mobiles, cofounded by former Apple chief executive officer John Sculley, will relaunch in India by October. What will it be called now?

30. Facebook recently touched which new milestone in terms of the number of visitors to the site in a single day?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 596 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 595

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the week August 17 - 22. Hope you enjoy it.

1. On Independence Day, Hindustan Unilever made its tea restaurant debut in Bandra, Mumbai. What has it been branded as?

2. Real estate listing portal Housing[dot]com has acquired which Bengaluru-based customer relationship management software company, for $2 million or Rs 13 crore?

3. State Bank of India (SBI) last week launched its mobile wallet. What has it been branded as?

4. Not sure if I covered this before. Which Japanese company has filed an application with the department of industrial policy and promotion for entering into the single brand retail segment in the country?

5. Which television and film production company has announced the launch of ALT Digital Media, a specialised digital content business wing?

6. Which business group has agreed to acquire two cement units of Lafarge India that the French company has to sell to conclude its global merger with Holcim, for Rs 5.000 core?

7. Askme[dot]com has agreed to buy majority stake in which online furniture marketplace for $20 million?

8. Ratan Tata has invested in which online media entity that profiles start-ups and entrepreneurs?

9. Ravi Kirpalani has quit as the managing director of the Indian operations of which MNC?

10. On August 15, which monument became "first historical monument" in the world to debut on Twitter?

11. Tata Power last week announced that it has touched which milestone consumer base?

12. World cup winning football player Alessandro Del Piero will visit India on September 1. He is the brand ambassador of which two wheeler brand?

13. Maruti Suzuki last week launched the ‘Onam’ limited edition of which brand?

14. Which food brand has launched its first mass media campaign - ‘Yeh Phislee Neeyat’?

15. Google last week unveiled the name of the latest version of Android. What has it been branded as?

16. Which business group has signed a joint venture agreement with Swiss personal care products maker Mibelle to develop and sell a range of consumer products exclusively for India?

17. Which business group has tied up with Italian firm MV Agusta to launch the latter's superbikes in India, estimated to be priced between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 33 lakh?

18. Dish TV has launched its push video-on-demand (VOD) service, offering a feast of films that can be viewed without ad breaks. What has it been branded as?

19. Honda Activa has crossed which cumulative sales milestone in India?

20. Which airport last week became the first in the world to operate completely on solar power?

21. Following the trend of sportspersons turning investors, Indian cricketer Umesh Yadav has invested an undisclosed sum in which Kolkata-based hyperlocal fashion portal?

22. Which MNC has appointed company veteran Micky Pant as chief executive of its China division?

23. I liked this ad. Which rice brand launched a digital video titled 'Divided by boundaries, united by love' on the eve of 14th August?

24. Google has teamed up with networking device maker TP-Link to build a wireless Wi-Fi router. What has it been branded as?

25. In the first such tie up of its kind, which business group will manage the overall public distribution system and ration shops in Rajasthan?

26. In what will rank as one of the biggest purchases of employer stock by a professional manager, which executive will buy shares worth 60 billion yen (Rs `3,150 crore)?

27. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last week gave `in principle' approval to how many entities for setting up payments banks?

28. Which channel has tied up with Warner Brothers to sell merchandise of popular characters and movies owned by the Hollywood studio, ranging from personal care items to home linen and apparel in India?

29. Which company has acquired 70% stake in Zea Maize, which owns the Delhi-based startup 4700BC Popcorn, for Rs `5 crore?

30. Which online marketplace for Indian fashion has launched its maiden campaign nationwide, called ‘Inherently Indian’?

31. Denver based enterprise mobile application developer AppIt Ventures has acquired which Hyderabad-based company in an undisclosed cash and equity deal?

32. In a unique employee engagement initiative, which company has created two virtual employees, named `Shubh' and `Labh', to reach out to its employees?

33. Which cloud-based customer support firm has acquired 1click[dot]io, a video chat and co- browsing platform, for an undisclosed amount?

34. Which online furniture and home décor company has released a new online campaign with four short videos featuring pets, titled ‘Creature Comforts’?

35. Which online financial services portal has launched its first brand campaign 'Proud to Pay Tax'?

36. Gagan Arora, cofounder and five-month-old CEO of consumer product customisation company Printvenue, has left the company to start a new venture. What is it called?

37. Which British celebrity chef is set to launch his famous Italian restaurant chain in Delhi, the first in the country, with plans to expand to cities across India?

38. Which US-headquartered storage solutions provider last week said it will acquire Dot Hill Systems for $694 million (around Rs 4,525 crore)?

39. The annual Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Liveability Index has named which city as the world’s most liveable city for the fifth consecutive year?

40. Which business group’s private equity arm has invested around $80-100 million in taxi hailing app Uber as part of a strategic partnership, which will see the two entities work closely together to expand Uber's presence in India?

41. Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation chairman and managing director (CMD) Ashwani Lohani was last week appointed CMD of which public sector entity?

42. Which MNC has said it would buy Sprout Pharmaceuticals, whose drug last week became the first approved treatment for low sexual desire in women, for about $1 billion plus milestone payments?

43. C&C Alpha Group, a private equity firm owned by India-born London businessman Sudhir Choudhrie, has sold which UK-based hospital chain to Cygnet Healthcare for about Rs 970 crore?

44. Which company last week unveiled the next level of its new age services - design thinking, platforms and knowledge-based IT - through an umbrella offering called Aikido?

45. Aditya Birla Group launched a new initiative to collaborate with innovative start-ups and provide them an opportunity to scale up in the large operating business environment. What is it called?

46. Which company has renamed itself as ‘63 moons technologies’ to reflect the company’s new strategy to focus on business opportunity in Digital India?

47. Volkswagen India’s plant in Chakan near Pune recently shipped another batch of cars to Mexico. Which milestone did it cross?

48. Which caller identification app has come out with its first mass-media campaign, featuring actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui?

49. Who has topped a Forbes list of the world's highest-paid actresses, earning some $52 million in the past year?

50. Which three Indian companies have been named among the world’s 100 most innovative companies by Forbes?

51. India's first Hard Rock Hotel is all set to open its doors this December. Which location?

52. Cab hailing app Uber has entered into a strategic partnership with which telecom company in India to make cab rides easy and WiFi enabled?

53. Twitter has renamed ‘Twitter Publisher Network’, a platform which helps advertisers connect with audiences. What will it be now called?

54. Ford India is celebrating which sales milestone (including exports) of EcoSport?

55. Which is the sole company from India named in Fortune magazine’s inaugural ‘Change the World’ list of companies making significant progress in addressing major social problems as a part of their core business strategy?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 595 as the subject.

Happy learning!
rajeev kondapalli