Sunday, December 30, 2012

OBQ 515: A new year calendar...

With a twist, can you tell me which organization? It'll be great even if you can figure out what kind of organizations it is just by looking at calendar...very witty!

Answer: Apollo Eye Hospital

Friday, December 28, 2012

OBQ 514: The do gooders...

Connect to an organisation who has touche many lives from Kargil war heroes to theater artist..

Answer: The Jaipur foot company, they made prosthetics affordable

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

OBQ 513: Not a product of IIM-A

But vis-a-vis!

With that huge hint identify this gentleman...

Answer: Mr. Louis Kahn the famous architect of IIM-A and many other landmarks globally

Monday, December 24, 2012

OBQ 512: Bankers of past funding the future.

Identify coat of arms of the richest business family in history...

Answer: The Rothschild Family

Saturday, December 22, 2012

OBQ 511: From Racing records to football records

Identify this company that has been around for more than 100 years and is a household name in India...

Answer: Castrol! Earlier known as CC Wakefield company.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

OBQ 510: Out of the world things...

Yes thats for sure! But what else connects these rather unrelated people and things?

Answer: The Higgs Boson, PSY and the Mars rover all were nominated for TIMES person of the year.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

OBQ 509: The lesser known American...

He found 60 companies during his time and had more than 350 patents to his credit, still he was not as well known as many of his contemporary...but many of the companies he founded still live on!

Who is he?
Answer: Mr. George Westinghouse the arch rival of Mr Thomas Edison and Mr Nicola Tesla

Sunday, December 16, 2012

OBQ 508: Farm equipment, generators, kitchen equipment...

This company has manufactured it all in its 150 year history, the generators made by it were the first to set their foot on South pole and work without a hassle...however today the company dominates a completely different part of your home...which company's ad?

Answer: Kohler

Friday, December 14, 2012

OBQ 507: Blood thirsty but connected...

Which Indian company connects these three global giants who otherwise keep on suing each other?

They are all its client and visibly so!

Answer: Redington India Ltd is distribution partner for all the otherwise competing companies.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

OBQ 506: An humble global Gujarati

Identify this man who has made his mark to put India in league of Global manufacturing hub...

Answer: Odhavjibhai R Patel (ORPAT and Ajanta clock fame)

Monday, December 10, 2012

OBQ 505: From the land of rising sun

Connect to a company which once became synonym for Digital

Clue 1: The company founded by a lathe operator had a cigarette holder as its first product.
Clue 2: The fortune of the company changed when the founder and his brothers visited a trade fair in late forties.
Clue 3: This equipment was its first major success and opened the foreign markets for the company which is dominated till date.
Answer: CASIO


Saturday, December 8, 2012

Thursday, December 6, 2012

OBQ 503: Before it hits us let me ask the question!

Simply tell me what is this image all about and why is it so much in buzz...

Answer:Its Tzolki the Mayan Caledar.



Tuesday, December 4, 2012

OBQ 502: Retailing in a Blue ocean.

Identify the company or connect to a person...if you get the logo in first image you got it!

Answer: Carnation auto started by Jagdish Khattar (ex MD os Maruti Suziki) and funded by Mr. Azim Premji.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Friday, November 30, 2012

OBQ 500: A famous man in Undivided India.

He was very famous after Pakistan's creation and had a contemporary that is equally famous today in India...
Think business!
Answer: He is Mr. Malik Ghulam Mohammed the founding partner of Mahindra and Mohammed the firm we know as M&M

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

OBQ 499: You know this language...

What's significance of this manuscript?

Answer: Its the origin of symbol @ (at the rate)

Sunday, November 25, 2012

OBQ 498: They taught strategy they failed at strategy..

Connect to an organization.

Answer: The monitor group, founded by strategy guru Michael Porter et al. Qaddafi was one of the client and Rahul Gandhi's employer , it ultimately went bust and was acquired by Deloitte sometime back

Friday, November 23, 2012

OBQ 497: The lone star...

Identify the company that has outperformed all its competition in last ten years...

Answer: Sun Pharma, India's most valuable pharma company.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

OBQ 496: The beauty and the beast!

What connects this two completely different looking vehicles?

Answer: Piaggio, the owner of Ape and Vespa brands!

Monday, November 19, 2012

OBQ 495: A role model for many iCons

Who is he? and why is he recently being remembered?

Answer:He is Mr. Edwin Land the founder of Polaroid company, he was the biggest role model for Steve Jobs

Saturday, November 17, 2012

OBQ 494: The Doctor who knew Pneumatics!

Connect to a company/brand name that is now used more as adjective!

Clue1: Almost 125 years ago a doctor saw his boy struggling to ride his Tricycle, and the idea for this product struck him.
Clue2: In next three decades many cyclists and motor racer adopt this product to achieve tremendous success , a company is formed which ultimately merges with an American company in early 21st century.
Clue3: These two guys and their program is indirectly linked with this Brand.
Answer: Dunlop whose South African operations were sold to Apollo Tyres of India

Thursday, November 15, 2012

OBQ 493: Once upon a time...

On all back covers of coveted business magazines you could have seen this ad, can you tell me the brand?

There is some hint already given, so reread :)

Answer:IBM Electric Type writer...now they are talking about a Smarter planet :)


Tuesday, November 13, 2012

OBQ 492: AT&T gets a spin

Identify the logo of the company which is actually much stronger than its (North) American counterpart AT&T
Answer: Its American Movil the largest telecom operator in LATAM which is owned by Mr.Slim who is the richest person on the earth.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

OBQ 491: The king of kings

Give me the group name...it'll be interesting if you can connect each of these three images to it!

Answer: Diageo, the owner of Burger Kind, Guinness brand of beer and now the owner of Kingfisher whose force one team has Nico Hulkenber as driver.

Friday, November 9, 2012

OBQ 490: First of sorts...

Both these products are first in their own right in their industries...what is the connect between them apart from being first?
Answer: The first PC known as Xerox Alto and Maruti Suzuki's best selling Alto!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

OBQ 489: How good you are with map reading?

Tell me what the map is about...the legend at the bottom left gives a lot of clues!

Answer: Its the map inidicating legality of cannabis (weed/heroin) globally

Monday, November 5, 2012

OBQ 488: Under one umbrella?

Which name is taken off from the top? The company that had many good brands is now phasing them out and putting them all under one big name...Give me the name of brand or group.

Answer:The name that is ??? is Panasonic, initially all these Brands were under the group Matsushita family, which finally decided to rename it self as Panasonic and give up the family name, all the brands are now being consolidated under Panasonic and its tagline "Ideas for life"

Saturday, November 3, 2012

OBQ 487: Teachers at work...

Who are they and what did they start? Which was eventually sold for a paltry sum of USD 3.8 million in 90s...
Sorry but I am just not getting enough of this Brand!

Answer: These are the three teachers (Jerry Baldwin, Zev Seigl, and Gordon Bowker)  that started Starbucks, after running it successfully it for many years they succumbed to Howard Schultz's USD 3.7 million and sold off their business. Howard Schultz was initially employed by them as consultant.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

OBQ 486: The man who married off Sports and Stats

Identify him...

Answer: Bill James the brain behind Sabremetrics the technique behind Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox's Baseball success

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

OBQ 485: A cultural icon trying to change a culture...

Identify what is this and where?                     (Questions courtesy: Zahir Khan)

Answer: Starbucks first store in India :)

Sunday, October 28, 2012

OBQ 484: The kings of direct selling...

Connect to a company...
Answer: Amway, The brand Nutrilite's logo which is owned by Amway...the founders and the Grand hotel owned by them

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

OBQ 482: From destruction to construction...

On the ocassion of Dussehra a question on useful weapons!

Connect the two images and give me the equipment name and the company that developed it first.


Answer: Its the design of first power drill/tool inspired by a colt revolver and was designed by Black and Decker...as they say rest is history!

Monday, October 22, 2012

OBQ 481: Of the convergence of the greatest

The company has changed the name and logo for more than a dozen times...Identify the logo of a company that is the dominant player in a duopoly...

Answer: Its one of the Old boeing logo which changed after almost each and every takeover and mergers

Saturday, October 20, 2012

OBQ 480: The World champions of merry making...

What kind of world champion is the guy in the image below...

Answer: He is World Bartending Champion, the event it organized by TGI Fridays




Thursday, October 18, 2012

OBQ 479: Cold war and the art of sky diving

Identify the unusual cold war hero...
Answer: Joseph William Kittinger whose sky dive during 1960s as a part of "Project Exclesior" was a record before Felix Baumgartner broke it last month

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

OBQ 478: Not the core competence...

Whose book?

Answer: J K Rowling's latest book for which she is under fire for going off track!

Friday, October 12, 2012

OBQ 477: Silicon valley's latest darling

Identify the logo of the start-up...the logo makes the name quite obvious!
Answer: Square the service which transforms mobile phones and tablets into payment terminals and has backers like Jack Dorsey

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

OBQ 476: Likes overload...

This man is the most "liked" person on Youtube and you have seen his style in action many a time (especially if you saw the T20 cricket world cup)

Tell me who is he?
Answer: P.S.Y the Gangnam Style fame Korean popstar who has become the king of viral videos!

Monday, October 8, 2012

OBQ 475: The wall of shame...

What they did? No need to name them all...
(Question Courtesy : Zaheer Khan)
Answer: These are the CEOs who were found to have wrong degrees and certificates and then sacked from their role...

Saturday, October 6, 2012

OBQ 474: The forgotten Mumbaikar

Identify the building in the first image with help of second image...

Answer: Its Watson hotel, the hotel where Mr Jamsetji Tata was not allowed to stay and hence the beginning of Iconic Taj Hotels!



Thursday, October 4, 2012

OBQ 473: Of the melodious tunes and noises!

Connect to a label


Answer: EMI the music label that owns rights to a lot of Beatle scores and is being acquired by Universal music

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

OBQ 472: Why am I asking this questions today?

The title of this blog is hint in itself.

Connect to a famous brand

Clue 1: The German company whose name literally translates as "White Mountain" has White star as its logo.
Clue 2: The company was started by a team of a banker, an engineer and a stationer more than a century back.
Clue 3: If you still dont get the hint in title of the blog, here it is.
Answer: Mont Blanc





Sunday, September 30, 2012

OBQ 471: Bow wow meow meow!

Identify the logo

Answer: Purina Corporation (World's largest Dog and cat food)

Friday, September 28, 2012

OBQ 470: Jack of All...

Identify the Brand/Holding company...

Answer: Energier holdings...The bunny, Eveready and Ralston brand owned by it

Sunday, September 23, 2012

OBQ 468: The glory days...

Tell me the significance of this poster...a little bit of french knowledge will help!

Answer: This is poster of a match between France and England during the 1900 Olympics, the first and last olympics where Cricket was part of it

Friday, September 21, 2012

OBQ 367: Music + mobility

Such a common thing today...would have been not possible w/o this guy...

Who is he?

Answer: He is Andreas Pavel...the person who first invented first portable audio player

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

OBQ 466: The fashionista

Connect to a company/brand...

Clue 1: The first product from this company succeeded on the fad of hoop skirts during 19th century.

Clue 2: Famous designers like Ralph Lauren started their career at this company whose first store was called "East side Bazaar"

Clue 3: She was employed in this company in one of the famous sitcoms!

Answer: Bloomingdales :)