OBQ 1422: Sell in India.

As manufacturing market we might be still struggling in India but our local consumption story is what keeping us afloat as an economy.

Identify the company that is milking this trend.

Answer: Indiamart.

OBQ 1421: Black Panther on Wall street.

The world has been talking about glass ceilings for decades now, however there is not enough talk about the African Americans and the discrimination they face around the boardrooms in USA.

Here is a man who has overcome all this and now sits at the top perch of the highest rung of Financing.

Who is he? And which company did he start?

Answer: Robert F Smith, the founder of Vista Equity partner.

OBQ 1420: Bruce Wayne, eh?

When you have lot of money priorities change, rather than defining business agenda you start considering yourself smart enough to define the whole country's agenda.

Here are two such brothers who think they know better and can pull string pretty much anywhere.

Who are they and how are they famously known?

Answer: Koch brothers

OBQ 1419: Very French.

France is literally at the heart of Europe and they have their way of doing things. On one end they have amazing patisseries and boulangeries and on the other they have some of the most physically challenging sports tournaments.

Here is a dish that is beautiful connection between both. Name the dish and also tell me why is it named so?

Answer: Paris Brest, named after the eponymous Cycle race.

OBQ 1418:Birthplace matters.

As India rages with the NRC debate, here is one debate that was settled many years ago which clearly indicated that like it or not but birth place is important for you to get the right recognition, especially in the business world.

Connect these images to a "term".

Answer: Geographic Indicator(GI) tags.

OBQ 1417: Going the distance.

OBQ 1417: Going the distance.

Great companies innovate when they hit a rough patch, here is an old school company that has tied up with a start-up to help get customers to convert one time big costs into small monthly expense.

Identify the start-up.

Answer: Revv Cars

OBQ 1416: Age of Turbulence

Its really bad when you screw up legacy of a company that is over 100 years old and is almost a duopoly in a big market. Here is the man who is facing the flake from all side as there is so much to blame.

Identify and name the company he leads.

Answer: Dennis Muilenberg CEO of Boeing who will be replaced by Dave Calhoun from Jan 2020

OBQ 1415: Spice of life.

Spice is very important...in food and in life and there is one company that has made itself a global spice conglomerate by building a portfolio of brands that serve to a wide variety of global palate.

Identify the company from its logo.

Answer: McCormick, one of the largest condiments and spice company in the world.

OBQ 1414: For all age groups.

There are few things that resonate with all age groups, and here you have a legendary company/brand that is not just favourite for all age groups but also its employees, customers and owners.

Connect to a company.

Answer: Dairy Queen.

OBQ 1413: If Muneemji had a vision.

This father-son duo turned a problem they face while running a small company into a multi billion business in last three decades and have given major entrepreneurship goals to people world over who want to innovate and create business solutions that work for everyone.

Who are they and what is their famous contribution to all businesses big and small?

Answer: Tally Solutions and its founders Bharat Goenka and Shyam Sunder Goenka

OBQ 1412: Brains in a building.

A good educational institute is essentially collection of great minds, here is one such organization that is part of a much bigger educational institute but through an amazing stream of innovations it has become a brand in itself.

Identify it from its logo.

Answer: MIT media labs

OBQ 1411: Humanizing Technology.

With technological enhancements come the challenges of managing them so that they work as the obedient servant of mankind and doesnt turn into the ultimate Terminator of all things we love and care about.

Here is a philosopher who has dedicated life to make technology more human, he might be not famous as some of the people he inspired, but his wisdom will help us make the most out of the coming technological revolution.

Who is he?

Answer: Stewart Brand the creator of The Whole Earth Catalog among many other things.

OBQ 1410: A building with lots of lobbies.

The intersection of business and politics is fraught with lot of shady dealings that may prioritize profits over people, here is one such building which is at center of such dealings for a longtime.

Identify the building and tell me what purpose it serves?

Answer: Global Headquarters of OPEC in Vienna

OBQ 1409: Holding it together.

In any industry when companies run out of product innovations, they resort to financial innovations to stay ahead of the competition.

Here is one such company that has managed to do well in its industry thanks to both product and financial innovations...its only apt that the industry it is in has an emphasize on "Holding things together".

Identify the company from its logo.

Answer: Holcim the largest cement company in world.

OBQ 1408: The men's club.

There are brands that have done pretty well to position themselves to make most out of what men wants. Here is one corporation that is collection of such brands.

Identify the company.

Answer: Hearst Corporation.

OBQ 1407: Funding for Future.

In a world where Hedge Funds and P E funds are compared with Vultures and Barbarians there is a person who has changed the investing paradigm by putting money where the mouth (of poors) is.

Who is she and what did she pioneer?

Answer: Jacqluine Novogratz of Acumen fund.

OBQ 1406: Its kinda big...

As a species we are obsessed with big things...the dinosaurs, the Airbus A380, or just  your big screen TV ;)

Here is one such big thing that is coming soon...identify it from its logo.

Answer: Dubai Expo 2020

OBQ 1405: The masterpiece.

World has seen very few true polymaths, some straddle the domain of arts and science but there are rare of the rare that are good in art, science and business as well.

Here is one such properties owned by one such polymath which is proving him to be an amazing businessman even centuries after his death!

Give me a very specific answer to who is the original owner of this property and why this property is proving to be a great business venture?

Answer: Leonardo Da Vinci's vineyard which has resumed production of wine again.

OBQ 1404: Adventure capital.

Investing these days is a science with too much data and very little narrative, however when it comes to funding big and crazy business ideas this gentleman takes the cake.

Identify one helluva financier from some of his successful and not so successful ventures.

Answer: John Pierpont Morgan

OBQ 1403: The dual core company.

Many companies have multiple layers of offering that make it an amazing proposition for its investors...like Amazon's retailing and Cloud business complimenting each other.

Here is one such company which is a technology giant in guise of a retailer.

Identify the company.

Answer: Ocado, the British etailing giant.

OBQ 1402: Arms Race for Eyeballs

What we watch on our TVs, phones and tablets is what all media companies core focus is, and even the biggest fish can't afford to miss on our changing entertainment consumption patterns.

Connect to a brand that just joined this arms race. I need a specific answer!

Answer: Disney +

OBQ 1401: Chasing Big "Bucks"

China is going to be the largest consumer market in couple of years and everyone is trying to grab a share of that growing market. Here is one company which like many of its other Chinese peers is trying to beat a big western firm on its home turf by changing the delivery model.

Identify from logo.

Answer: Luckin Coffee 

OBQ 1400: The Rainmakers.

They say Zero is the most radical price...here is a duo who used power of small margins on big volume to build one of the most disruptive business in Indian Finance industry in last 10 years.

Who are they and what did they start?

Answer: The Kamath brothers of Zerodha.

OBQ 1399: Financing good chemistry..

OK folks, this one is going a bit on tangential...but if you can crack it this is a good one and you can give yourself pat on the back!

Connect these images to a company which is a conglomeration of some of the biggest chemical businesses of the world...just like its owner it is a low profile but a formidable empire nonetheless.

Answer: Ineos

OBQ 1398:From counting cash to counting days?

As Digital technologies become the new normal, a lot of old businesses will be disrupted. Here is one such company that survived more than a century by literally counting cash, now they are under fire as their products and business models come under attack. Will they innovate like they have been for last 125 years or will the perish?

Identify from logo.

Answer: National Cash Register (NCR) one of the largest ATM manufacturers in the world.

OBQ 1397: Demonetization (the effective one).

In India people still have bad memories from three years ago when the government started demonetization for 500 and 1000 Rs. notes. A historical event though that happened exactly 30 years ago brought in a demonetization of a different kind that made everyone involved happy.

Tell me the event that triggered it and took these coins out of circulation.

Answer: The fall of Berlin wall.

OBQ 1396: Winner, Winner...

In a country where "Pure Veg" restaurant are sought out it takes a daring visionary to make bets ion a company that goes against the grain (quite literally) and plans to take benefit of increasing per capita meat consumption.

Who is he and which company did he start?

Answer: Venky's, or Shri Venkateshwara Hatcheries.

OBQ 1395: The reality is unreal.

Entertainment is all about selling unreal dreams to the masses, this company seems to be doing the opposite and making its money through some supposedly "Real" content and some big financial maneuvers.

Connect to a company that came in existence four years ago after a merger.

Answer: Endemol Shine, the biggest reality show company in the world.

OBQ 1394: The creator of Matrix.

Things may seem simple when they are first created, so was the case with this gentleman's creation when he created it exactly 40 years ago. Now you can't imagine modern corporate life without it, regardless of whether you are a CEO or a clerk its part of your workday.

Who is he and what iconic thing did he bring to the digital era?

Answer:  Daniel Bricklin who created the first Spreadsheet software.

OBQ 1393: Cost of doing business.

There are many kinds of cost of doing business, employee costs, material costs, taxes and in some countries even bribery is part of the cost...however there are some costs that you cant plan for and yet the show up on your P&L accounts.

Here are some businesses that have an incurred these costs. Tell me what am I referring to?

Answer: All of these companies (the first image is linked with Charlie Hebdo) suffered losses because of terrorism.

OBQ 1392: Red light.

Yes, I am not colour blind...I can see this is a green colored dot...but this company while it had its tremendous run as a unicorn had a lot of investors and customers who didnt see anything worrisome and kept pumping in the money till it was too late.

Identify the company from its logo or rather a part of its logo...

Answer: Theranos

OBQ 1391: The sun and the son.

Diversification dont always work for businesses especially when the core business is not strong enough to help grow other businesses and you leverage a lot to gain ground.

Here is one such story which didnt go as per the script...now the only hope is to look east to gain some help and save the name of this business group.

Connect all the images to the business group.

Answer: Reliance ADAG group.

OBQ 1390: Leadership (the kind we need in 21st century).

We need leaders who can deliver growth without burning up the planet, what he started as a research project has now become an industry standard which is helping keep the planet green.

Who is he?and What did he create?
Hint: Look the image closely.

Answer: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and he Robert K Watson

OBQ 1389: The wired revolution.

Once upon a time TV Channels were almost always state owned, free and boring. Then there was a revolution that was started by private citizens, which is still underway and drawing subscribers in big numbers who are happy to pay for quality content. And thanks to that even in era of live streaming they are making money by the truckload.

Identify one of the first to start this revolution from its old logo.

Answer: Home Box Office (HBO).

Tata Crucible Corporate Quiz 2019: National Finals Review with answers.

As promised by Pranshu Singh he has posted the Questions and Answers from Tata Crucible National Finals that unfolded couple of days back.

On this link you will find all the questions.

https://onawillowhuntforthecherry.blogspot.com/2019/10/questions-tata-crucible-corporate-quiz.html

And here you will find all the answers.


https://onawillowhuntforthecherry.blogspot.com/2019/10/answers-tata-crucible-corporate-quiz.html

Do check it out and congratulations to the winners!

OBQ 1388: The second most important.

Sometime being second most important might mean being not important at all...well not for this event. In the world of sports this event is considered as the best of the best battling out to settle the score and end the year on a high note.

Name the event.

Answer: ATP Tours Final.

OBQ 1387: Blast from the past.

There are company that are so big that they become synonymous with entire industry, but the juggernaut of technology spares none and it crushes those who dont adapt.

Identify a business that went bust and its rival which is now synonymous with an entire industry.

Answer: Blockbuster

Tata Crucible Corporate Quiz, 2019 Mumbai Prelims

A fellow quizzer, Pranshu Singh was at Mumbai regional finals held over the weekend.

You can find out the prelims on link to his blog.

https://onawillowhuntforthecherry.blogspot.com/2019/10/tata-crucible-corporate-quiz-2019.html

He will have more updates on other rounds held in Mumbai later on, so stay tuned for that.

OBQ 1386: Re-positioning of a different kind.

For most company re-branding their brands is a costly affair, however what this country did with one of its major cities and its hundreds of year old brand image was a masterclass in re-positioning anywhere.

Identify the city whose fortunes changed thanks to some clever marketing.

Answer: The "I Amsterdam" campaign to promote Amsterdam.

OBQ 1385: Walk in the Park?

Around the world the chaebols of South Korea are known for their manufacturing might (and corruption sometimes(, he created a company that has nothing to do with manufacturing and is. based on trust, integrity and some extraordinary vision.

Who is he?

Answer: Park Hyeon Joo of Mirae Assets.

OBQ 1384: Your turn next.

As the bigger Asian markets start losing steam there is a next gen of relatively smaller countries of South-East Asia. where the start-up eco-system is going at a breakneck speed.

Here is one company that is making the most out of this big shift.

Name it.

Answer: Gojek.

OBQ 1383: The food gods.

Food is important and there are modern day goods who live on the clouds (read: Use cloud kitchens) and get you the food that you want at great prices and with great speed.

The burn less cash than their food delivery counterparts and hence have better chances of survival.

Identify the company that was one of the first "start-ups" in food space and has evolved in last 5 years to re-position itself to make most out of the online move of foodies.

Answer: Faaso's

OBQ 1382: World's favourite Canadian.

Canadian are known world over for their love of maple (on the flag and maple syrup on the pancakes ;)) and for their love of Ice Hockey.

This man then is favourite Canadian as he was a very good ice hockey player and he also started a business venture that still carries his name more than 40 years after his untimely death and spreads the good name of Canada.

Who is he?

Answer: Tim Horton

OBQ 1381: Sports in uncharted terrain.

Sports is already physically challenges, however its even more challenging when it happens where you least expect it to happen.

Here is one such sporting event, identify it from the mascot.

Answer: World Athletic Championship 2019 held in Qatar.

OBQ 1380: Issued in Public interest.

Its hard to run a company, its even harder to run a government enterprise. Its even harder to raise capital from the common people. This guy has done it all.

Who is he? (Hint: Current affairs)

Answer:Mahendra Pratap Mall of IRCTC

OBQ 1379: Aww...so cute!

Sex sells, but cuteness sells to all age-groups and marketers know that very well. Here is an add from the past that turned many heads back then and even today if you knew it is trying to sell what using the innocence of kids.

Identify the category for which the ad is.

Answer: Marlboro (yes, the cigarettes :))

OBQ 1378: Redemption time.

An entrepreneur's journey is fraught with challenges. You start a company, you scale the company and sometime to keep-up you sell it to someone with deeper pockets. Then you get booted from the company that you started (remember Steve Jobs?), but then you pick up the piece and do your second act for redemption.

Here is a journey of one such entrepreneur, who is he?

Answer: Binny Bansal the co-founder of Flipkart.

OBQ 1377: Flight of fantasy.

Continuing on the theme of airlines (the answer to OBQ 1376 was Herb Kelleher the founder of Southwest Airlines) here is another question.

Identify this airline from its logo, yes its a logo of an airline.

Answer: Thomas Cook had its own Airlines.

OBQ 1376: Howdy Hospitality?

In USA Southern part is known for its warm hospitality (ask Mr.Modi who is getting taste of it ;-)), however ask this man to take it to next level. He passed away earlier this year but the radically new way of running an industry that he created more than 40 years ago has changed the world in a big way.

Those are the only hints you identify this amazing business man from the South of USA.

Answer: Herb Kelleher of of Southwest Airlines. The person who started the concept of low cost airlines.

OBQ 1375: Mind your own business.

Sometime successful businesses have hard time containing themselves and they start expanding in too many verticals. Here is a company that was a big name in food industry...but then they overextended and it all ended very badly.

Identify the company that at one stage owned these disparate set of brands.

Answer: Sara Lee

OBQ 1374: The heavyweight.

As far as the food industry goes this is a heavyweight champion, its only a coincidence that their name is shared by an actual heavyweight champion from the sports arena.

Name the heavyweight.

Answer: Tyson Foods