Biz Quizzard 722

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the period January 22 - 27. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Who has become the sole Indian to join the board of ‘The Rise Fund’, TPG’s $2.1-billion global impact fund driven by private capital for socio-economic change?

2. Which omni-channel travel tech firm has acquired WagonBee, a B2B vehicle rental marketplace?

3. Which business group has launched its range of Herbal Deo fragrances in Indian Market under the brand "O"?

4. This is a joke in the name of disinvestment. Which company has got the consent for acquiring 51% stake in fellow PSU Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) for Rs 36,915 crore?

5. Which company has rolled out its maiden television commercial ‘Haseen Tu, Haseen Din.’?

6. PokerBaazi(dot)com, one of India’s pioneer online poker platforms has signed on which sports personality as its new brand ambassador?

7. Which cement brand has launched its latest digital campaign “Chhatein”?

8. This should be easy. Which brand has signed a bat endorsement deal with cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur for a period of 2 years?

9. Which automobile brand has launched a campaign to celebrate 20 years in India?

10. Reliance Industries (RIL) has become the first Indian company to cross which milestone mark in market capitalization?

11. Which popular waffle chain, having 50+ quick service restaurants outlets all over the world, is all set to enter the Indian market?

12. Noida-based RailYatri has acqui-hired which Kochi-based food delivery technology startup?

13. Which company has acquired a 55% stake in eSports gaming company Nodwin Gaming for an undisclosed amount?

14. Which brand has become the No 1 feature phone brand in the quarter to December by shipments, overthrowing market leader Samsung in the segment for the first time?

15. Azim Premji-led Premji Invest, the billionaire’s investment arm, is picking up a 40% stake in which Gurgaon-headquartered low-cost housing finance company?

16. Which MNC has agreed to buy out Patron Spirits International in a deal valuing the top high-end tequila maker at $5.1 billion?

17. This is interesting. Which Hyderabad-based dialysis services provider has launched `Holiday Dialysis’ programme with travel packages to Goa for patients from Hyderabad?

18. Which company has entered into a joint venture with Indonesia-based MNC Universal Wellbeing to foray into FMCG business in India?

19. Which VC firm is preparing to raise up to $1billion for its sixth India-focused fund, making it the largest corpus raised for the domestic market?

20. GST taxpayer base has crossed which milestone mark?

21. Which train app and leading travel marketplace has launched a video ‘Train Mein Hai Ghar Wali Baat’’?

22. Which beauty and wellness firm has entered into men's grooming segment with the launch of 'Ayush Men'?

23. Which automobile trading portal has bought 51% stake in vehicle and equipment auctioning platform Shriram Automall India Private Limited (SAMIL) for Rs 157 crore?

24. Uber last week launched services in Amritsar and Kanpur. What was different this time compared to launch in 29 cities earlier?

25. Which olive oil brand has roped in Chef Sanjeev Kapoor as brand ambassador?

26. Which Indian retailer has got into the list of top 250 global retailers list this year, at No. 189, according to a report on global powers of retailing by Deloitte Global?

27. An inn in Japan is making use of automated driving technology to offer the latest in hands-free hospitality – self driving slippers. Which MNC has provided the technology?

28. Which grocery delivery firm is launching a new private label category called 'Savemore' under which the company will be selling home care items such as cleaners, soap, phenyl, towels etc?

29. Which entity is entering the luxury wellness segment under Shankara, a new skincare brand?

30. To celebrate Republic Day, which brand launched the campaign ‘One Nation One Water’?

31. Which MNC has named Coca-Cola Co veteran J. Alexander Douglas as its chief executive, starting April 2?

32. Which smartphone brand has announced the launch of its ad campaign for Camon i?

33. HARMAN International has named which Indian celebrity as global brand ambassador for the company’s JBL® and Harman Kardon® audio brands?

34. Which company has acquired Vulcan Express, the logistics arm of Snapdeal promoter Jasper Infotech, in a Rs 35-crore, all-cash deal?

35. This is a nice campaign. Which brand has launched its latest campaign, titled ‘Fearless Kota’, focusing on exam stress?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 722 as the subject. Answers will be mailed to those who attempt the current edition within the given time.

Happy learning!

rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 721

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the period January 15 - 20. Hope you enjoy it.

1. This was long overdue. Who has been appointed as CEO of Pantaloons Fashion Retail, the first woman CEO at the $41-billion Aditya Birla Group in its 160 years history?

2. Which bank has announced it would merge with Capital First, a retail focused non-banking finance company backed by private equity firm Warburg Pincus?

3. Which company has launched the campaign ‘Ab Sehan Kyun Karna’?

4. Which drug major has forayed into over-the-counter (OTC) segment in the country, with the introduction of its legacy product ‘Softovac’ as an OTC medicine?

5. Which international property consultant has appointed Juggy Marwaha as executive MD for its India business with effect from 22 Jan 2018?

6. Which company will launch the smartphone, Bharat GO, later this month?

7. Which domain registry has appointed its business head Sandeep Ramchandani as the global CEO?

8. Which Alibaba-backed Chinese bicycle sharing service has entered India on a pilot basis?

9. Which MNC has agreed to sell its US confectionery business to Italy’s Ferrero for $2.8 billion?

10. Which NRI businessman has acquired an iconic Scottish hotel - The Caledonian, a grand Edwardian hotel overlooking Edinburgh Castle - in a $120-million deal?

11. Which online marketplace for private jets is now planning to emerge as the ‘UberPool of the skies’ with the launch of its upcoming service – JetShuttle?

12. Which company has inked a MoU with Israel-based Watergen to help solve India’s drinking water challenge by providing clean and cost-efficient drinking water drawn out of thin air?

13. Which company has launched the campaign ‘#HomesNotShowrooms’?

14. Which video-on-demand platform has launched the campaign ‘Dare or Stay There'?

15. After making a debut in the United States, Bengaluru-based start-up Krish Food and Fun India is set to launch which product(s) at the India International Coffee Festival (IIFC) in Bengaluru?

16. Which celebrity is foraying into the packaged water space with his brand One8?

17. Grab, a Singapore-based etaxi network, has acquired which Bengaluru-based payments firm to help boost its payments platform GrabPay for an undisclosed sum?

18. Which company has become the first renewable power company to compete with coal-based plants in the spot market?

19. Which MNC has acquired North America's leading mobile parking services solution provider Parkmobile, LLC?

20. The number of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) crossed which milestone mark in 2017?

21. Which beauty retailer last week introduced the namesake brand, Huda Beauty, exclusively in India?

22. Which brand has launched a ruby chocolate version in Japan and South Korea, becoming the first consumer brand to market the new variety developed by Barry Callebaut?

23. Which is the largest read regional language daily in the country, as per IRS 2017?

24. Which is the largest read English daily in the country, as per IRS 2017?

25. Which company has acquired Bio-Pharm, a generic and over-the-counter (OTC) drug maker based in Levittown, Pennsylvania, for an undisclosed sum?

26. Which Thai cash and carry firm will invest more than Rs 1,000 crore in India in five years to open its wholesale outlets across the northern region?

27. Which brand has launched the digital campaign #7HourMarathon, featuring Milind Soman?

28. Which company will fully acquire Travel News Services India (TNSI) in a Rs 100 crore deal?

29. Who has been appointed the new chairman of the ISB (Indian School of Business) Executive Board effective April 2018?

30. What will be happening at the World Economic Forum 2018 in Davos for the first time in 48 years?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 721 as the subject. Answers are mailed to those who attempt the current edition within the given time.

Happy learning!

rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 720

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the period January 08 - 13. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Which tobacco major has taken out numerous press ads announcing its "New Year's resolution to quit smoking" and stop selling cigarettes in the UK?

2. Which Canadian institutional investor is set to buy Equinox Business Park from the Essar Group for Rs 2,450 crore?

3. Which business scion is working on ‘Peace Mission’, a startup in the food and retail space that involves opening of a chain of cafes across the country?

4. Which company has become the 33rd non-life insurance company in the country following a certificate of registration from IRDAI?

5. Adidas has launched an outdoor campaign using a specially-designed 3D face of the brand ambassador Paul Pogba to announce the launch of which product?

6. Brigadier (retd.) Kapil Mohan passed away on January 6. He is recognized as the man behind which well known spirits brand?

7. Which company has entered the confectionery business with 'Jollies'?

8. Which MNC has launched a digital campaign ‘Toys are for kids of all ages’, featuring Bengaluru-based 35 year old Sunil Chawla?

9. Which company has acquired a majority stake in Chennai-based gaming startup Next-Wave Multimedia?

10. Which airport has become south Asia's first airport to handle over 6 crore passengers in a year?

11. Which payment gateway last week elevated Dilip Asbe as the new managing director and chief executive?

12. Which beverage brand has signed Telugu actor Allu Arjun as brand ambassador in the southern market?

13. Which matrimony portal has chosen Mrunmayee Deshpande, a popular Marathi actress as the face of its outdoor campaign?

14. "Game of Thrones" actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been announced as the global brand ambassador of which male grooming brand?

15. Which fashion retailer has appointed Ashish Dikshit as its new managing director?

16. Which golf technology solutions provider has made its third strategic acquisition buying Delhi-based deep technology startup Golf Centra in an all-cash deal?

17. Greaves Farm Equipment Business, part of engineering firm Greaves Cotton Ltd., last week unveiled a mid-sized, heavy-duty power tiller. What has it been branded as?

18. Which state has become the first state to monetise road assets via toll, operate and transfer (TOT) model?

19. Danone has roped in Prithvi Shaw, captain of the U-19 Indian cricket team, as the brand ambassador for which brand?

20. In its largest super-luxury residential development in India, The Trump Organization has launched a 1.25 million sq ft project in which city?

21. Which MNC last week said its chief executive, Patrick Doyle, planned to leave the company in June and would be replaced by Richard Allison, currently president of its international business?

22. Which celebrity will launch L'Oreal men's grooming products under the name House 99?

23. Which advertising technology player has bought Los Angeles-based startup AerServ for $90 million in a cash and stock transaction?

24. Which MNC has roped in Gal Gadot as its global brand ambassador for its new Live Boldly campaign?

25. Which company has acquired a controlling stake in Cosmos-Maya through a combination of primary and secondary stake acquisition?

26. Which bank has launched its new campaign ‘#ByeByeMrBahane’?

27. Which company has entered into an arrangement to acquire 70% share of Zimbabwe Alloys in a deal size estimated at a little over $90 million?

28. Which MNC has launched its new campaign ‘#StrongerTogether’?

29. Which MNC has decided to exit the dairy business in India?

30. Royal Philips has crossed which milestone sales mark in India in FY17 after more than 8 decades of setting up operations in the country?

31. Which company last week launched its first super sports utility vehicle 'Urus' in the country, priced at Rs 3 crore?

32. Which automobile company has appointed Gurpratap Boparai, the MD of Fiat India, as its new managing director?

33. Which company has partnered with French animation company Xilam to extend the cartoon brand Oggy and the Cockroaches globally as a children’s game?

34. Royal Enfield last week launched a new version of its adventure touring model Himalayan, at an introductory price of Rs 2,12,666 (on-road Chennai). What has it been sub-branded as?

35. Which hospitality company announced it has bought back investment made by U.S. banking group Goldman Sachs for Rs 300 crore and now owns 100% equity?

36. Which channel has launched a film ‘Kheloge kudoge toh banoge lajawab’?

37. Which company has launched #JobsofTomorrow, its first brand commercial to promote its Nanodegree certification program?

38. Consumer electronics maker Micromax last week announced its foray into which new category with products priced between Rs 5,990-16,990?

39. In an endeavour to enrich consumer experience, which bathroom products manufacturer has joined hands with Harpic, cleaner from Reckitt Benckiser, to keep toilets sparkling clean?

40. Norway-based fertiliser company Yara International ASA said it has completed its Rs 2,682-crore acquisition of which company’s urea business?

41. Which MNC appliance maker is foraying into commercial appliance segment in India?

42. Which biscuit brand has launched its new campaign #GoPlaces, wherein homemakers get the opportunity to win a brand new Scooty?

43. Sudhir Kumar has quit as the CEO of which handset maker?

44. Spain-based paint manufacturer Graphenstone has partnered with which company for marketing its emission free paints to tap the fast-growing environment-friendly paint segment in India?

45. Which luxury group said it intends to spin off a majority stake in sports apparel maker Puma by distributing the stake to its own shareholders?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 720 as the subject.

Happy learning!

rajeev kondapalli

Biz Quizzard 719

Presenting the current affairs quiz for the period January 01 - 06. Hope you enjoy it.

1. Car and SUV sales crossed which milestone mark in 2017 for the first time ever?

2. Kapil Chopra has resigned as president of which hospitality group?

3. The co-founders of which company have kicked off a new venture called Sabin Advisors?

4. Which realty firm will acquire CapitaLand's stake in seven entities engaged in retail real estate for Rs 342 crore?

5. Which housing finance company has raised Rs 1,000 crore by selling the country’s first “social bonds”, the proceeds of which will be deployed in the low-cost or affordable housing sector only?

6. Education and hospitality company MBD is readying to check into the budget hotels category under which brand?

7. Which brand has kicked off its new campaign #EndWinterOdour to highlight the importance of solving the problem of body odour in winters?

8. Which $2bn food delivery startup from UK is reportedly preparing to launch in India next year?

9. Which company last week announced that it has launched India’s largest commercial kitchen in the Financial District area of Hyderabad?

10. Emami Group has roped in which celebrity as the brand ambassador for its edible oil brand ‘Himani Best Choice’?

11. Which automobile MNC has appointed Kookhyun Shim as India managing director and chief executive officer with immediate effect?

12. Nitin Nayar has resigned as the India managing director of which private equity firm?

13. Which state has received the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s approval to launch India’s first co-financing NBFC for MSMEs?

14. Which Indian golfer has teamed up with Smartron to endorse the OEM, IoT brand?

15. Which is India’s favourite brand in 2017, as per a survey conducted by Market Xcel in collaboration with Nikkei BP Consulting of Japan to map consumers’ favourite brands in India?

16. Which building materials company last week announced the launch of its non-asbestos roofing product Charminar Fortune?

17. Which company has acquired 100% of Chennai-based MS Global India (MSGI) from Korea-based MS Group for an undisclosed sum?

18. Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) has crossed which milestone sales mark in 2017, for the first time in its 17 years of Indian operations?

19. Which furniture and home products marketplace has launched a campaign ‘Tension Gaya Sale lene!’ to celebrate its six-year birthday celebration sale?

20. Which company has rolled out a nationwide social campaign – ‘#PehniKya?’?

21. Which company plans to acquire the international remittance business of Indian company Transcorp International Ltd for $7.4 million?

22. Which brand has launched its new campaign 'Shut the Fake Up!'?

23. Which cement brand has launched a campaign featuring 'Mr. D', a humanoid robot?

24. Which company has tied up with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as its official connectivity and Internet partner?

25. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has come out with a new design of ten rupee note. In which colour?

Please mail your answers on or before next Sunday to rajeevkondapalli@gmail.com with Biz Quizzard 719 as the subject. Answers will be mailed to those who attempt the current edition within the given time.

Happy learning!

rajeev kondapalli