Business Quiz

2011-02-02T18:19:00.002+05:30

Q. The copper coin (shown below) was first introduced by Sher Shah Suri during his rule of India between 1540 and 1545, along with Mohur, the gold coin and Rupiya, the silver coin. Later on, the Mughal Emperors standardised the coin along with other silver (Rupiya) and gold (Mohur) coins in order to consolidate the monetary system across India. The question is, which english phrase originated from the name of this coin.

A. The coin was called the 'Dam' (pronunced daam) and the English phrase “I don't give a dam[n]″ originated from it due to its small worth.

2010-09-07T18:49:00.002+05:30

Q. An electrical engineering graduate from BITS, Pilani, Phani was happy with his Texas Instruments job. But seeing the potential of organizing a certain ticketing platform, he immediately brought in partners. He then went to the registrar of companies with the idea of calling his company 7D, or 'Seven Dudes'. The registrar declined this name, telling them a company's name cannot start with a number. Finally the proposal to name the company Pilani Soft Labs, was accepted in their third visit to the registrar with ______________ being their brand name.

Fill in the blank.

A. redBus

2010-09-07T18:39:00.003+05:30

Q. Connect the images to a business tycoon.

A. Elon Musk (Cofounded Tesla Motors, X.com which later merged with Confinity to become Paypal and according to Jon Favreau, director of the Iron Man movies, he is the inspiration for Favreau's and Robert Downey Jr.'s interpretation of the genius Tony Stark.)

2010-03-05T17:57:00.001+05:30

Q. It was 1894, and 26-year old Václav Klement, a bookseller, was unable to obtain spare parts to repair his bicycle. Klement returned his bicycle to the manufacturers, Seidel and Naumann, with a letter, in Czech, asking for them to carry out repairs, only to receive a reply, in German, stating: "If you would like an answer to your inquiry, you should try writing in a language we can understand". A disgusted Klement, despite not having technical experience, decided to start a bicycle repair shop, which he and Václav Laurin opened in 1895. Which company was born henceforth?

A. Skoda Auto

2010-03-05T17:46:00.002+05:30

Q. What was largely inspired by the book shown below. (The text reads "Phillips Exeter Academy")

A. This is the Photo Address Book a.k.a. the facebook of the Phillips Exeter Academy. This is what inspired Mark Zuckerberg to start Facebook.

2009-12-12T19:56:00.001+05:30

Q. The person in question is an American computer programmer and entrepreneur. He was the creator and lead developer of Gmail. He developed the original prototype of Google AdSense as part of his work on Gmail. He also suggested the company's now-famous motto "Don't be evil" in a 2000 meeting on company values. He worked at Intel first and later became the 23rd employee at Google.
He is currently an angel investor and a founder of the startup FriendFeed, which Facebook agreed to acquire in August 2009 in a private transaction.
Name this person who holds so much credit to his name.

A. Paul Buchheit

2009-12-12T17:30:00.001+05:30

Q. Identify the logos.

a)

b)

A. a) American Tourister
b) GoDaddy.com

2009-11-20T14:21:00.002+05:30

Q. Identify the logo below. The company name has been licensed for use on a range of lifestyle products including electronic goods sold by Alba (including MP3 players, home audio systems, DVD players, DAB radio players and in-car entertainment systems), mobile handsets, festival camping gear, vodka, clothing, luggage products and fragrance products.

A. Ministry Of Sound (MoS)

2009-11-20T14:10:00.002+05:30

Q. This restaurant chain was the brainchild of Robert Earl, former president of Hard Rock Cafe. It was modeled after the Hard Rock formula, so closely in fact that a lawsuit ensued and awarded the Hard Rock millions in damages. Earl recruited many former Hard Rock veterans to open new stores. Movie star "owners" received stock options at rock bottom price in exchange for their endorsement, thus they could be billed as legal owners.
In April 1996, it went public. The company's share price reached all time high of $32 on the first day of trading and went down to less than $1 by 1999. The company has gone bankrupt twice. Nearly 100 stores have closed worldwide, leaving fewer than 20 in the world currently. Identify this restaurant chain.

A. Planet Hollywood

2009-11-19T20:33:00.004+05:30

Q. Identify the 2008 start-up which is a multi million dollar company today by its logo and also its angel investor.

A. Logo - Tapulous;
Investor - Late Rajeev Motwani.

2009-11-18T12:35:00.001+05:30

Q. Identify the advertiser. (Think Lateral)

A. Microsoft (On Bill Gates)

2009-11-18T12:09:00.002+05:30

Q. Instead of hours and minutes, the mean solar day is divided up into 1000 parts called "beats". Each beat lasts 1 minute and 26.4 seconds. Although the company does not specify units smaller than one beat, third party implementations have extended the standard by adding "centibeats" or "sub-beats" as a decimal fraction, for extended precision: @248.00.
There are no time zones; instead, the new time scale of Biel Mean Time (BMT) is used, based on the company's headquarters in Biel, Switzerland. What am I talking about?

A. Swatch Internet Time

2009-11-17T11:51:00.002+05:30

Q. From the very beginning, bowling and X have shared the same path. X's founder John Moses X played an integral part in the birth of the game by building a company dedicated to taking games like billiards and bowling out of fancy Victorian parlors and into the public arena. Moses Bensinger (married to Eleanora X, daughter of John Moses X) had a vision for the modern game of bowling. He standardized rules for the game and organized the first American Bowling Congress in 1895, which held the first significant bowling tournament in 1902. The ABC became a prominent fixture in competitive, professional bowling, and is responsible for developing the professional game and global appeal of the sport as it is known today. Identify this company X who has helped shape the sport as we know it today.

A. Brunswick

2009-11-17T11:43:00.002+05:30

Q. In 1968, X founded X Ltd., a coat shop in the York Hotel in New York City, with $10,000. Legend has it that a year later a buyer from Bonwit Teller got off the elevator on the wrong floor, and ended up placing a $50,000 order. It is more likely though, that X showed his work to Bonwit Teller staff, which led to his first collection: a line of men's and women's coats featured at the New York City store.
In 1969, he, who was later described as "the supreme master of minimalism," appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine.
By 1971, sportswear, classic blazers as well as lingerie were added to his women's collection portfolio.
Which fashion magnate had such an accidental and yet such a humble beginning?

A. Calvin Klein

2009-11-15T22:27:00.002+05:30

Q. In the early 1900s while India was still under the British rule, one of the strongest manifestations of mass awakening was the desire to patronize all that was 'Swadeshi' (Made in India). Great Indian patriots and eminent businessmen like Shri Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sir Ratanji Jamshedji Tata, amongst others conceived the idea of a chain of co-operative stores across India.

And thus this chain of stores in question came into existence on 14th December, 1905. On December 17th, 1906, the flagship store was inaugurated by Dr. Dadabhai Naoroji. The store was then located at the present Times of India Building, on D.N. Road, Mumbai. In 1938, it shifted to its present location on Sir Pherozeshah Mehta Road. What chain am I talking about?

A. The Bombay Store

2009-11-15T21:26:00.001+05:30

Q. Beginning August 2005, X began selling products under its own private label, "Pinzon"; the initial trademark applications suggested the company intended to focus on textiles, kitchen utensils, and other household goods. In March 2007, the company applied to expand the trademark to cover a larger and more diverse list of goods, and to register a new design consisting of the "word PINZON in stylized letters with a notched letter O whose space appears at the "one o'clock" position." The list of products registered for coverage by the trademark grew to include items such as paints, carpets, wallpaper, hair accessories, clothing, footwear, headgear, cleaning products, and jewelry. On September 2008, X filed to have the name registered. Identify this parent company X.

A. Amazon.com

2009-11-12T16:22:00.002+05:30

Q. In 1976, X went to work at the manufacturing conglomerate 3M, but left after her request to transfer to the headquarters was denied; she was told that "women don't do these jobs". She moved on to the computer industry, including jobs at Digital Equipment Corporation and Sun Microsystems.

She became CEO of Autodesk in 1992. According to Forbes, X "transformed Autodesk from an aimless maker of PC software into a leader of computer-aided design software, targeting architects and builders."She is credited with instituting and promoting Autodesk's "3F" or "fail fast-forward" concept — the idea of moulding a company to risk failure in some missions, but to be resilient and move on quickly when failure occurs. She stepped down as CEO in 2006 and became the executive chairman of the board. Autodesk's net revenue substantially increased during her tenure.

She served on several boards of directors, including those of Intel, Cisco Systems, Autodesk, BEA Systems, Network Appliance, and the Foundation for the National Medals of Science. Additionally, she has been a member of the United States President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Identify X.

A. Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz.

2009-11-11T23:03:00.004+05:30

Q. Identify the logo and also explain its significance.

A. Logo of Team Radio Shack. Lance Armstrong is going to race in the 2010 Tour De France with this team.

2009-11-10T17:30:00.002+05:30

Q. Identify the logos.

1)

2)

A. 1) Royal Caribbean International Cruises
2) Mathematica

2009-11-10T17:25:00.002+05:30

Q. The business in question was set up in 1986 by S S Goenka, who founded a small company called Peutronics Pvt. Ltd. with the aim of using computers to simplify the tedious job of keeping accounts. His son Bharat was responsible for the development of the commercial software product which led Peutronics Pvt. Ltd., into changing its name and becoming the company it is today. It now operates from its offices on the Hosur Road, a business district of the Silicon Valley of India and makes financial accounting softwares that currently sells in 88 countries beyond its native India, including the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. Identify this worldly recognized company.

A. Tally Solutions

2009-11-09T13:18:00.003+05:30

Q. Explain the Google Doodles

a)

b)

A. a) Brazil wins 2016 Olympics
b) Valentine's Day

2009-11-06T12:39:00.003+05:30

Q. Identify the famous entrepreneur who is worth over $1.8 billion as of today.

A. Mike Lazaridis of Research In Motion (RIM)

2009-11-05T17:50:00.001+05:30

Q. Identify the logo.

A. Microsoft Surface

2009-11-05T17:43:00.002+05:30

Q. The first recorded history of the company is in 1366, when records of taxes exist on Leuven's Den Horen Brewery, a brewery that is still in existence today. In 1708, Sebastian became the master brewer at Den Horen, and gave his name to the brewery in 1717.
In 1926, the company was launched initially as a seasonal beer especially for the Christmas holiday market. It was first sold in Canada and it was such a commercial success that the brand became available year round and, apart from the duration of the Second World War, has been produced ever since. The name, logo and the colour associated with it are all inspired from the Christmas season. Identify the company/brand.

A. Stella Artois (Stella is 'star' in Latin.)

2009-11-01T16:03:00.002+05:30

Q. The person in the picture below is a retired American attorney and philanthropist. He co-founded a law firm which today has over 1900 attorneys worldwide and is ranked as the 10th largest lawfirm in the United States by the National Law Journal and as the 19th largest among law firms worldwide by The American Lawyer. He has also authored a book "Showing Up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime".

Other notable achivements in his lifetime are:

1. Awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award which acknowledges his business and civic success at least 25 years after earning Eagle Scout rank as a Scout.
2. Served on the Board for Judicial Administration, Washington State Supreme Court, 1993-1995
3. President of the Washington State Bar Association, 1986-1987
4. Inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2003

Identify this 85 year old dynamic personality who is famous today for very different reasons.

A. William H. Gates Sr. (Father of Microsoft founder, Bill Gates)

2009-10-01T19:55:00.004+05:30

Q. The first prototype was given the initials MP5 and baptized "Paperino," the Italian name for Donald Duck, a nick-name given to it by the workers because of the strange shape it had. Enrico did not like the design and asked D'Ascanio to redesign it — which he did with a more aeronautical-derived aerodynamic look.

When the second prototype called MP6, was shown to Enrico he exclaimed: "Sembra una ___________!" ("It resembles a _________!") The name stuck and from there on it went on to become one of the most recognized brands in the world. Identify this revolutionary brand/product.

A. Vespa (Italian for 'Wasp')

2009-10-01T19:49:00.003+05:30

Q. Identify him and the brand he is associated with. He started an appareal company in 1978 which is based in Molvena in northern Italy.

A. Renzo Rosso - Diesel

2009-09-20T15:01:00.002+05:30

Q. Identify this young mind who was recently featured in Business Week’s 25 Most Influential People on the Web.

A. Matt Mullenweg of Automattic (Wordpress, IntenseDebate, etc.)

2009-09-20T14:47:00.002+05:30

Q. In 1949, a young entrepreneur, K. M. Mammen Mappillai, opened a small toy balloon manufacturing unit in a shed at Tiruvottiyur, Madras (now Chennai). Although the factory was just a small shed without any machines, a variety of products, ranging from balloons and squeaking toys to industrial gloves and contraceptives, were produced. Which multi-billion dollar company had such a humble beginning?

A. MRF (Madras Rubber Factory)

2009-09-15T12:54:00.002+05:30

Q. In an attempt to define this South African ethic and humanist philosophy, Archbishop Desmond Tutu stated the following:

"A person with ___________ is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed."

What modern-day product takes its name from the above mentioned philosophy mostly because it is based on the same principle?

A. Ubuntu - Linux's operating system is distributed as free and open source software.

2009-09-15T12:21:00.003+05:30

Q. The picture is derived from the Greek mythology where the blind giant Orion carried his servant Cedalion on his shoulders when Orion was searching for the rising sun. What modern day application takes inspiration from this incident?

A. Google Scholar - "Stand on the shoulders of giants"

2009-09-15T12:07:00.000+05:30

Q. Drew Curtis states that the word X originated either from a chat room euphemism for the word "fuck" or from a drunken misspelling, although he tells people it's the former because it's a "better story that way." He registered X.com in September 1997, when a friend mentioned that all the four letter domain names were disappearing. Originally, X.com contained no content except for an image of a squirrel with large testicles.

Since 1993, Curtis had frequently read morning news stories and exchanged them with friends. Although this would later become the inspiration for X, Curtis toyed with the idea of starting an online curry recipe database. In 1999, eighteen months after registering the domain name, he launched X as a way to share interesting news postings with his friends rather than sending them numerous emails. The first story posted was an article about a fighter pilot who crashed while attempting to moon another fighter pilot. Identify this very popular website X.

A. Fark.com

2009-09-12T23:59:00.003+05:30

Q. David Duke, former Ku Klux Klan (KKK) leader had made KKK merchandise in order to bring out the name of the klan as the "National Organization For European American Rights". In February 2000, a particular lifestyle clothing brand filed suit against David Duke for infringements of their copyright, who has since changed the name of his organisation to European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO). Which clothing brand filed this suit and why?

A. When David Duke got the merchandise made, he didn't realize that the acronym of "National Organization For European American Rights" turned out to be 'No Fear'.

2009-09-12T23:46:00.002+05:30

Q. The Bank of Italy was founded in San Francisco by Amadeo Giannini in 1904, based on catering to immigrants. Amadeo was raised by the Fava/Stanghellini family when his father was shot while trying to collect on a $10.00 debt. When the 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck, Giannini was able to get all of the deposits out of the bank building and away from the fires. Because San Francisco's banks were in smoldering ruins and unable to open their vaults, Giannini was able to use the rescued funds to start lending within a few days of the disaster. From a makeshift desk of a few planks over two barrels, he loaned money to anyone who was willing to rebuild. Which bank evolved as a result of this tragic incident?

A. Bank Of Amercia

2009-09-12T23:33:00.000+05:30

Q. Identify the advertising man.

A. David Ogilvy.

2009-08-14T03:12:00.001+05:30

Q. His first product was soap. In order to sell the soap, he offered free baking powder. The baking powder became more popular than the soap so he switched to that. To help sell his baking powder, he began offering something else for free. Well, that became even more popular then and today he leads in the production of that particular product. Who am I talking about and what product?

A. William Wrigley and the Chewing Gum

2009-08-14T03:09:00.001+05:30

Q. This particular character of a chef has a special significance in corporate history. What is its claim to fame?

A. The chef in question is known as "SPEEDEE". He was the brand mascot and company logo of McDonalds before the current 'Golden Arches'.

2009-08-13T02:37:00.002+05:30

Q. This young man returned to his village once all his business attempts had failed and stayed there until 1940, when he decided to try again in Seoul. After mulling over his situation with the Japanese, he decided to start another venture. Using a service garage he purchased from a friend, he started the A-do Service Garage on a 3,000 won loan. Within three years, the employee number grew from 20 to 70 and he was able to bring in a good income. In 1943, the Japanese Occupational Government forced the garage to merge with a steel plant as part of the war effort. Although his businesses were seeing their demise due to suppression by the Japanese, he returned to Asan with 50,000 won in savings to try and make the best of the situation. And so he did. Name this well known personality and also the name of the empire he created.

A. The young man was Chung Ju-Yung and the Hyndai corporation emerged as a result of those savings.

2009-08-11T01:33:00.003+05:30

Q. This beverage was set up during the early 1990s in conjunction with Cott, a Canadian company that specialises in bottling own-label drinks. Cott was looking for a major international brand that could have global appeal.

In the company's typical jokey fashion, when first launched the 500ml bottles were marketed as "The Pammy", as their curves were designed to resemble Pamela Anderson who was at the height of her popularity in the UK at the time.

Identify this beverage.

A. Virgin Cola

2009-08-11T01:28:00.003+05:30

Q. Both A and B joined the Nazi Party, but B was slightly closer to the party. During the war, a growing rift between the pair reached a breaking point after an Allied bomb attack in 1943 when A and his wife climbed into a bomb shelter that B and his family were already in. "The dirty bastards are back again", A said, apparently referring to the Allied war planes, but B was convinced that the comment was meant for him and his family. After B was later picked up by American soldiers and accused of being a member of the Waffen SS, he was convinced that his A had turned him in.

In 1948, they split their business. Which legendary people am I talking about?

A. A - Adolf (Adi) Dassler
B - Rudolf Dassler

2009-08-09T23:57:00.003+05:30

Q. Identify the logos.

a)

b)

A. a) D E Shaw
b) Pernod Ricard

2009-08-08T01:40:00.002+05:30

Q. This brand X has its origins in Germany, when a trading ban was placed on that nation by the Allies during World War II. The Coca-Cola company therefore was not able to import the syrup needed to produce Coca-Cola in Germany. As a result, Max Keith, the man in charge of Coca-Cola's operations in Germany during the second World War, decided to create a new product for the German market created using only ingredients available in Germany. And hence X was developed. Identify this well known brand X.

A. Fanta

2009-08-08T01:39:00.002+05:30

Q. Identify this logo.

A. Finlandia

2009-08-07T15:40:00.001+05:30

Q. Take a careful look and identify this brand.

A. Burberry

2009-08-07T01:41:00.002+05:30

Q. This infamous restaurant chain began operations on October 4, 1983, with the first one in Clearwater, Florida, founded by Alisa Ianelli and built on the site of a former dumpster washing facility that had been purchased at a cheap price. The store actually opened on April 1, 1983, as an "April Fools Day" joke, because the original six owners believed that their prospect was going to fail. Indeed, so many businesses had folded in that particular location that the founders built a small "graveyard" at the front door for each one that had come and gone by them. Name this chain carrying such an interesting history behind it.

A. Hooters

2009-08-07T01:39:00.002+05:30

Q. Identify the logo of the upcoming Google product.

A. Google Wave

2009-08-03T20:00:00.003+05:30

Q. The person in question was born in 1821 in Jura, France. In 1835, he moved to Paris. The trip from his hometown to Paris was over 400 kilometers (249 mi), and he travelled the distance by foot. On his way there, he picked up a series of odd jobs to pay for his journey. There, he became an apprentice Layetier (French for trunk/bag maker) to prominent households. Because of his well established reputation in this field, Napoleon III of France appointed him as Layetier to his wife, Empress Eugénie de Montijo. Through his experience with the French aristocracy, he developed expert knowledge of what made a good travelling case. It was then that he began to design his own luggage. Who am I talking about?

A. Louis Vuitton

2009-08-03T19:57:00.001+05:30

Q. Identify the mascot.

A. Jeeves of Ask.com

2009-07-31T01:59:00.002+05:30

Q. This drink made the headlines recently being the first of its kind. Sold only in NYC for now, it comes in Citrus Burst, Peach Mango, Very Berry and Tropical Colada. Identify the manufacturer and explain its novelty.

A. First carbonated milk beverage from Coca Cola.

2009-07-31T01:54:00.003+05:30

Q. Identify the gentleman in the picture below. He is an American casino resort/real-estate developer who has been credited with spearheading the dramatic resurgence and expansion of the Las Vegas Strip in the 1990s. His companies refurbished or built some of the most currently widely recognized resorts in Las Vegas such as the Golden Nugget, The Mirage, Treasure Island, Bellagio, and Encore. This Forbes 400 man also lends his name to one of the biggest casions of Las Vegas.

A. Steve Wynn

2009-07-05T04:51:00.003+05:30

Q. Signor Felice ___________, an Italian, first introduced this concept in India starting in Mumbai in 1965 by forming a company of the same name. His views were way ahead of his time and thus the company didn't do well and started showing tremedous loses. An Indian family saw some potential and bought over the company in 1969 & the company managed to keep the same brand name.
Since 1995, the company has started expanding operations substantially and the turn over has multiplied more than 20 times over a period of 10 years and the average growth rate has been around 40% over this period. Moreover they command a 60% market share of the organized market. Identify this legendary brand.

A. Bisleri

2009-07-02T16:12:00.002+05:30

Q. The company was founded in 1886 by then 28-year-old David H. McConnell who sold books door-to-door and gave out perfume to entice women to buy his books. His perfume became so popular that eventually that is all the women wanted. He then founded the California Perfume Company (CPC) in New York in a 500-square-foot (46 m2) manufacturing and shipping office at 126 Chambers Street. Which 42,000 employee hiring; NYSE listed company am I talking about?

A. Avon Products

2009-07-02T16:05:00.003+05:30

Q. Three brothers and a sister - founders of which group?

A. Benetton

2009-07-02T15:56:00.002+05:30

Q. On November 6, 2006, Bill Gates, through his holding company Cascade Investments LLC, and Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal made an offer to take this private (buyout) for US$3.4 billion (excluding debt).Isadore Sharp, the founder of the company, would remain chairman and chief executive of the company. He also would be able to realize proceeds from a 1989 incentive plan that would pay him $288 million. The company's headquarters would remain in Toronto. Which company am I discussing here?

A. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

2009-07-02T15:45:00.001+05:30

Q. Which brand gets its name and logo from an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry, in England, in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants?

A. Godiva

2009-06-19T23:39:00.002+05:30

Q. In an interview with The Washington Post on November 11, 2003, this American currency speculator, stock investor, businessman and political activist said that removing President George W. Bush from office was the "central focus of my life" and "a matter of life and death." He said he would sacrifice his entire fortune to defeat President Bush, "if someone guaranteed it."
"The man who broke the Bank of England." as he is famously dubbed gave $3 million to the Center for American Progress, committed $5 million to MoveOn, while he and his friend Peter Lewis each gave America Coming Together $10 million. (All were groups that worked to support Democrats in the 2004 election.) On September 28, 2004 he dedicated more money to the campaign and kicked off his own multi-state tour with a speech: Why We Must Not Re-elect President Bush delivered at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Identify this emminent business personality who is also the 29th richest person in the world according to Forbes.

A. George Soros

2009-06-18T16:04:00.004+05:30

Q. (a) Identify the logo.

(b) Brands from whose stable?

A. (a) Dailymotion
(b) Carlson Group

2009-06-15T22:23:00.002+05:30

Q. X was founded in Rochester, New York, in 1851 as The New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company. After a series of acquisitions of competing companies by Hiram Sibley and Don Alonzo Watson, the company changed its name to X Telegraph Company in 1856 at the insistence of Ezra Cornell, one of the founders of Cornell University, to signify the joining of telegraph lines from coast to coast. It introduced the first stock ticker in 1866 and was one of the original eleven companies tracked when the Dow Jones Transportation Average stock market index for the NYSE was created in 1884. Identify X.

A. Western Union

2009-06-14T15:04:00.001+05:30

Q. The company blog explains:
In Mandarin, X has two interesting meanings, each highly relevant to our mission. The primary meaning interested us because it is used in an ancient Chinese proverb that describes the X as the holder of precious things. It literally translates to "gourd," and in ancient times, the X was hollowed out and used to hold precious things. The secondary meaning is "interactive recording." We saw both definitions as appropriate bookends and highly relevant to the mission of X.
Identufy X.

A. Hulu

2009-06-13T16:36:00.002+05:30

Q. Knighted in November 2006 from Queen Elizabeth II for services to entrepreneurship, identify this Greek born British entrepreneur whose net worth is roughly GBP £1.29 billion and also the name of his infamous venture.

A. Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou of EasyGroup

2009-06-13T16:16:00.003+05:30

Q. This particular product was launched in 1957 and started off very poorly. It's first credible use was by the NASA Gemini space program. A NASA engineer working with the Gemini Space Program on a life-support module explained the story of how and why it was used. Paraphrased:

"... There was a particular component of the Gemini life support-system module which produced H2O (water) among other things. This was a byproduct of a recurring chemical reaction of one of the mechanical devices on the life-support module. The astronauts would use this water to drink during their space flight. The problem was, the astronauts did not like the taste of the water because of some of the byproducts produced, which were not harmful of course. So they had to look for an alternative..."

The use of this product by NASA a couple of years after its launch was the first instance when the sales started to rise and from then on it has never looked back. What legendary brand am I talking about?

A. Tang

2009-06-12T19:38:00.004+05:30

Q. The person in question attended the University of Southern California and graduated with a degree in business. He later became a racing driver in the Formula Atlantic series. But today his name is best known for his work in the field of business. Identify him.

A. Steve Saleen

2009-06-12T19:36:00.003+05:30

Q. From Seagrams to Diageo, what brand mascot is potrayed by the actor in the picture below?

A. Captain Morgan

2009-06-12T17:10:00.003+05:30

Q. The word is an onomatopoeia, a word that imitates the sound it represents. Through focus groups decided that the name was memorable, short, easy to spell, and that it would function well as a URL around the world. The word would remind people of the sound made during "the moment of discovery and decision making.
While being tested internally by the company's employees, it's codename was Kumo, which came from the Japanese word for spider as well as cloud, referring to the manner in which search engines "spider" Internet resources to add them to their database, as well as cloud computing. What am I talking about?

A. Microsoft's new search engine Bing.com

2009-06-12T16:50:00.003+05:30

Q. What is this HP's trademarked procedure of direct disc labelling called?

A. LightScribe

2009-05-18T23:18:00.003+05:30

Q. Identify the following brands:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

A. 1. Chevrolet Equinox
2. Caterpillar
3. Microsoft Encarta
4. Thomson Reuters
5. Nintendo

2009-05-13T02:36:00.002+05:30

Q. Eleanor Velasco Thornton was an English-born actress. She was born in Stockwell and left school at 16. At 22 she was the secretary of John Walter Edward Scott-Montagu, who became the second Lord Montagu of Beaulieu in 1905. She became his mistress and they had an illegitimate daughter that she gave up for adoption.
She was drowned with hundreds of other passengers on 30 December 1915 when the SS Persia, on which she was travelling with Beaulieu through the Mediterranean on the way to India, was torpedoed without warning by the German U-boat U-38, commanded by Max Valentiner. How is she become immortal in business history?

A. Spirit Of Ecstasy (Rolls Royce)

2009-05-04T15:00:00.002+05:30

Q. Everyone is familiar with the person on the right. Identify the person on the left.

A. Subrata Roy - Sahara

2009-05-03T01:33:00.002+05:30

Q. Identify these two brothers who have managed to create an equator in Germany by their parallel brands (One managing the Nord and one the Sud). Their combined forces showed a revenue of US$ 58 billion (2008) according to Deloitte. (Hint: Retail)

A. Karl and Theo Albrecht (Aldi)

2009-04-19T13:46:00.002+05:30

Q. What is the main source of income of this remote set of pacific islands?

A. Tuvalu began deriving revenue from the sale of its ".tv" Internet domain name.

2009-04-19T13:41:00.003+05:30

Q. The man in the picture is Belgian Alain Billiet. How did he affect the financial history of the world at the time of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty?

A. He designed the Euro Symbol (€)

2009-04-19T13:34:00.002+05:30

Q. X is brand of watches, originally a company founded by Ernest Francillon at Saint-Imier, Switzerland. Its origins can be traced back to the 1830s and it currently holds the oldest registered logo for a watch company (a winged hourglass). In addition to the Olympic Games, X has timed 31 Tours de France competitions. The company's motto is "Elegance is an attitude". Albert Einstein owned an X pocketwatch and was presented with an X wristwatch by the company. In October 2008 the latter sold at an auction for 596,000 US Dollars.

A. Longines

2009-04-17T16:23:00.003+05:30

Q. The story goes something like this. The legendary writer Anthony Burgess named his first novel ___________________ (the first part of the Malayan trilogy The Long Day Wanes) after the advertising slogan of this very famous beer. The beer was popular in the Malaya of the 1950s, where Burgess was working. Burgess reveals in his autobiography that, when his book was published, he asked the manufacturer, then Fraser and Neave, for a complimentary clock with the beer's slogan. The brewery declined to offer this or any other freebie. But fourteen years later, when Burgess was better known, it relented. In 1970 it told Burgess he could consume any of their beers free of charge while in Singapore, with their compliments. “But it was too late.” Burgess wrote, “I had become wholly a gin man.” Identify the slogan/book.

A. Time For A Tiger

2009-04-17T15:53:00.003+05:30

Q. Identify this business tycoon who died in 1942 and is interred at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York right beside baseball legend Babe Ruth. He has a publishing house named after him.

A. Condé Montrose Nast.

2009-04-17T04:48:00.002+05:30

Q. Identify this gentleman who recently entered the board of directors of Microsoft and due to whom the USPS (United States Postal Service) gets tremedous business throughout the year.

A. Reed Hastings

2009-04-14T13:11:00.003+05:30

Q. Which world famous brand gets its name from this? Also identify this.

A. This is the Pepsin Enzyme from which PEPSI gets its name.

2009-04-14T01:59:00.001+05:30

Q. Identify the logo.

A. Groupe Danone

2009-04-14T01:44:00.002+05:30

Q. The company in question was started by Jim Jannard in 1975 in his garage with an initial investment of $300. Jannard began by selling what he called 'The ___________ Grip' out of the back of his car at motocross events. His motorcycle grips were unlike other grips riders had seen at the time. Although the grips were successful, brand recognition was limited as the grips were usually concealed by the riders' hands. From then on the company has managed to build a distinctive image and a high ended brand name. It is also the sole company that seven time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong has a life time deal with. Name it.

A. Oakley

2009-04-14T01:30:00.002+05:30

Q. Around 1900, seven brothers named ____________ immigrated to the United States from Italy. They eventually settled on the West Coast in Berkeley, California and became machinists. One of them, Rachele, began making aircraft propellers, inspired by an airshow he saw at the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition in nearby San Francisco. Rachele and his brothers created an aircraft manufacturing company in Berkeley called "____________ Brothers", which remained in business until 1976, although their product line changed over the years. Name this family that shares its name with the company and is quite a genericized trademark today.

A. Jacuzzi

2009-04-13T01:24:00.002+05:30

Q. It appears the original idea of X didn’t come from Y, and in fact, British inventor, Kane Kramer, invented X in 1979, at the age of 23. His invention was named IXI. Kramer’s patent became public domain after his company IXI went bankrupt in 1988. Unfortunately, he was unable to raise the money required to renew the patent in over 120 countries. Obviously, Y was one of the companies to check out Kramers patent, liked what it saw and eventually created what we know as the X. Identify X and Y.

A. X - iPod; Y - Apple

2009-04-12T12:51:00.001+05:30

Q. Whose slogan goes as follows:

"Committed To Improving The State Of The World"

A. World Economic Forum

2009-04-12T12:45:00.003+05:30

Q. Identify this gentleman. He is one of the most celebrated employees of google.

A. Vint Cerf

2009-04-12T12:22:00.002+05:30

Q. Ol' Roy is the largest selling dog food in the United States surpassing Nestle's Purina. It was introduced in 1983 and its namesake comes from a bird dog of this very successful owner. Which emminent personality was the proud owner of the dog?

A. Sam Walton (Ol' Roy is Wal-Mart's private label and hence the sales volume)

2009-03-30T19:53:00.002+05:30

Q. More than 500 young students and activists entered the contest held in the Spring of 1970 in Aspen, Colorado. After being evaluated by a panel of judges, a winner was declared. A 23 year old student from the University of Southern California at Los Angeles named Gary Dean Anderson took home the first place prize of a $2500 tuition scholarship. This contest was held by the Container Corporation of America. What did Gary Anderson give to the present world of business?

A. The Recycle (Three Revolving Arrows) Logo.

2009-03-30T19:36:00.003+05:30

Q. Identify the logo of this company that was founded in 1918 under the name of the Namiki Manufacturing Company.

A. Pilot Pen Corporation

2009-03-27T15:31:00.003+05:30

Q. Identify this gentleman who is the 14th richest person in the world, the 3rd in the European Union and France's richest person with an estimated net worth of $26 billion US dollars. He owns a 47.5% stake in LVMH (Louis Vuitton) and Christian Dior SA and is also the Chairman and CEO of both the companies.

A. Bernard Arnault

2009-03-26T20:56:00.002+05:30

Q. Isidor Straus was one of the most well-known casualties on the infamous sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Although Straus and his wife Ida had a chance to get on one of the lifeboats, Isidor refused, saying that he wouldn't go ahead of the younger men, and Ida, not wanting to leave her husband behind, stayed with him on the ship. Now Straus was a vivid business personality being the long time owner of a retail chain whose Herald Square flagship store is listed by the Guinness World Records as the world's largest department store building since 1924. Another interesting fact is that the star in the Company's logo comes from a tattoo that its founder, a certain Mr. Rowland, got as a teenager when he worked on a Nantucket whaling ship. Identify this retailer that also sponsors the NYC's annual Fourth of July fireworks display, which began in 1976.

A. Macy's

2009-03-25T15:45:00.002+05:30

Q. The company was originally founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land. It's original dominant market was in sunglasses, an outgrowth of Land's self-guided research after leaving Harvard University after his freshman year. He later returned to Harvard to continue his research. Today, the company's flagship product line is instant film cameras which were introduced in 1948. Name the company that was restructured in 2001 after it filed for bankruptcy.

A. Polaroid

2009-03-24T14:00:00.003+05:30

Q. What has been blanked out?

A. Halliburton

2009-03-23T01:48:00.000+05:30

Q. Identify the mascot.

A. Geoffrey the Giraffe (Mascot of Toys "R" Us)

2009-03-23T01:44:00.001+05:30

Q. The company was founded in 1946 by Minoru Yoneyama as a producer of wooden floats for fishing nets. The company was later forced out of this market because of the invention of plastic floats. This led to a commitment by Yoneyama to never again be left behind by technological advancements. His company then started producing something due to which it is popular today. Name his company.

A. Yonex

2009-03-22T00:58:00.003+05:30

Q. The picture below is of a 'dhow' which is a traditional Arab sailing vessel with one or more lateen sails. They are primarily used along the coasts of the Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan, India, and East Africa. What has this particular vessel inspired in popular culture?

A. It inspired the shape of the Burj Al Arab.

2009-03-20T02:29:00.003+05:30

Q. X's founder, Gourmohan Dutta, belonged to the rich merchant class of Calcutta. X had a humble beginning in his house in 1929. To establish the brand identity, the logo was carefully developed. For all Indians and especially the merchant class, the Elephant God – or Ganesha – has an enormous significance. The elephant signifies steadiness and success. Keeping these in mind, Dutta chose the elephant. Identify X.

A. Boroline

2009-03-20T02:10:00.002+05:30

Q. Engelberg is a small town in Switzerland which usually hosts a round of the ski jumping world cup. It changed its name in 1999 in honour of which Indian company?

A. SOTC (The town of Engelberg was renamed as SOTC Indian Village in 1999.)

2009-03-20T01:51:00.002+05:30

Q. Jeff Braun met Will Wright at a pizza party hosted by Chris Doner in 1987. Wright had been unsuccessful in finding a game publisher for his city-building game SimCity. On the other hand, Braun already had a jet fighter simulation game he hoped to publish, and when he saw SimCity he told Wright that the two games would give them critical mass to start a new games publisher of their own. They named the company ____________. Name the company formed by Jeff and Will which is now a part of EA.

A. Maxis

2009-03-18T20:18:00.002+05:30

Q. What originated in Phoenix, Arizona in 1980, where a seven-year-old boy, Christopher James Greicius, was hospitalized with leukemia? (The picture of the boy is given below)

A. Make-A-Wish Foundation (The Arizona Department of Public Safety, hospital workers and members of the community teamed up and were able to grant his 'wish', to become a police officer for one day.)

2009-03-15T00:46:00.002+05:30

Q. _______________ has undoubtedly left its mark on pop culture, examples include balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a _____________ -styled Boeing 747-400, thousands of merchandise items, and a theme park in Nagoya, Japan in 2005 and Taipei in 2006. _____________ also appeared on the cover of the U.S. magazine Time in 1999. Several other shows such as ReBoot, The Simpsons, South Park, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and All Grown Up! have made references and spoofs of ____________. ____________'s first store opened in November 2001,in New York's Rockefeller Center. Fill in the blank.

A. Pokemon

2009-03-15T00:45:00.001+05:30

Q. It was established in 1925 in Udupi, Karnataka by three visionaries-Sri Upendra Ananth Pai, a businessman, Sri Vaman Kudva, an engineer and Dr.T M A Pai, a physician- with the name "Canara Industrial and Banking ________________ Ltd." The Bank was started with a capital of Rs 8000 and the objective behind starting the Bank was primarily to extend financial assistance to the local weavers who were crippled by a crisis in the handloom industry through mobilising small savings from the community. Name the enterprise.

A. Syndicate Bank

2009-03-15T00:43:00.002+05:30

Q. Identify this gentleman. Presently the CEO of Europe's largest engineering conglomerate.

A. Peter Loscher (CEO of Siemens)

2009-03-14T20:38:00.001+05:30

Q. In 1886 his family left Switzerland to live in Beaune, France. It was there as a young man, he developed his mechanical skills and interest in auto racing. He worked for the Roblin mechanics shop from 1895 to 1899, at which time he went to Paris, where he worked for a short time before emigrating to Montreal, Quebec in Canada in 1900 to work as a chauffeur/mechanic. In 1905, he was hired by FIAT as a racing car driver, and a year later became employed by a Philadelphia company developing a then-revolutionary front-wheel drive racing car. His racing career continued as he drove for Buick, becoming a friend and associate of Billy Durant. Who am I talking about?

A. Louis Chevrolet