ARMAGEDDON-2006

Here are the questions and answers from the elims of ARMAGEDDON-2006:

1. In 1988, Ajjay B. joined his family business, the Amritsar Transport Corporation. Alongside ATC, his family ran another business, which was doing abysmally. Ajjay’s father gave him Rs. 40 lakhs to turnaround the business, which he managed to do in two year’s time. To expand his business, he formed a JV with an Australian company in 1995. Identify the company.
Answer: PVR

2. Founded in December 1998 by Peter Thiel and Max Levchin, it was initially a service for users to send money via PDAs. The company is supposed to have devised the Captcha system of making the user enter numbers from a blurry picture. Currently owned by eBay, its domain name is www.x.com. Identify.
Answer: PayPal

3. Identify the company.
Maximum capital to be raised – $2718281828 (reference to Napier’s constant e = 2.718281828)
Shares floated during IPO – 14142135 (reference to Square Root of 2 = 1.4142135)
Shares floated during secondary offering – 14159265 (reference to Pi = 3.14159265)
Answer: Google

4. After serving as an Electrical engineer in US Steel Corporation, Ramchandra Galla founded this company in 1985. An original equipment supplier to Maruti and Hyundai, this company unveiled its new logo in 2001, a Yin and Yang symbol in green and black. Identify the company.
Answer: Amara Raja

5. (***) Identify him or the company.
Answer: Sinnasamy Muthiah (Father of Muthiah Muralitharan); Luckyland Biscuits

6. This was one of the many t-shirts that were up for sale on Cafepress.com. Funda.
Answer: Federal Inmate Number of Martha Stewart

7. In the mid-80s, the computer-aided search for a new name of the Mutuelles Unies / Drouot entity resulted in short listing of – Argos, ___ and Elanwas. Elan meant ‘moose’ in the native language and Argos was already a popular company name, so both were eliminated. In 1985, Chairman/CEO Claude Bébéar chose ____ as the corporate name.
Answer: AXA

8. A London-based design firm named AID was entrusted with designing the new logo for a particular company. Terry Moore of AID removed the letters LM from the old logo and used the Frutiger font. The new logo unveiled in 1982 was initially humorously referred to as “The Three Sausages”. Which company?
Answer: Ericsson

9. The two persons in this photo are Catherine Fake and Stewart Butterfield. Identify their creation.
Answer: Flickr

10. (***) Zhao Xiaokai, the general manager of a sports publicity company named ‘Flying to Infinity Sports Culture Diffusion’ recently registered a trademark to be used for beer and hats under the name ‘Tietougong’. What?
Answer: Black and White Silhouette of Zinedine Zidane's Headbutt

11. Identify the connection.
Answer: Paul Allen

12. Due to lack of facilities for the 1956 Unesco Conference, Pandit Nehru decided to build a hotel and a convention centre. Thus, Vigyan Bhawan became Asia’s first convention centre and __________ became the 1st ever 5-star hotel to be owned by the Indian Govt. Which?
Answer: Ashok Hotel

13. Connect: Cardamom, Aniseed, Ginger, Mustard, Nigella, Saffron, Sesame, Tamarind and Turmeric. (The list is not exhaustive)
Answer: Names of SpiceJet Aircrafts

14. It was founded in 1967 by ______ ____ (after whom the company is named), Skip Yowell and Murray Pletz in partnership with its parent company, VF Corporation. Identify this Brand known for its lifetime warranty on its products and its popularity among students.
Answer: JanSport

15. Identify the company. (Print Ad)
Answer: Fevicol

16. A microbiologist cum copywriter, Ranjiv Ramchandani worked as creative director of Paris-headquartered BDDP and was a part of the ‘Disruption’ methodology team created by advertising legend Jean Marie Dru. He along with Madan Chhabria are the founders of a certain cult brand. Identify it.
Answer: Tantra

17. (***) By the early 1980s, all that was left of this neglected company was a handful of shabby ‘odditoriums’. In 1985, Jimmy Pattison acquired this company for a sum of $6 million. He retained its top managers and in subsequent years, it expanded significantly through franchising. Identify the company.
Answer: Ripley's

18. When asked whether he knew that the laser pointer was broken, the person replied, “I am a collector of broken laser pointers.” What is the significance?
Answer: First-ever purchase on e-bay

19. Identify the company. (Video Ad)
Answer: Radio Mirchi

20. It is widely believed that Edwin’s idea that “companies would be more successful if they could call on someone outside their own organizations for expert, impartial advice” gave rise to the profession of ‘Management Consulting’. The firm that he started has notable breakthrough ideas to its credit including PERT, Product Life-Cycle and coining of the term ‘Supply Chain Management’. Identify the firm.
Answer: Booz Allen Hamilton (Edwin Booz)

21. Founded in 1991 by Robert Earl, it gave stock options to celebrities at rock bottom price in exchange for their endorsement. After having gone bankrupt twice, it recently entered India with Arch Millennium as its franchisee. Which company?
Answer: Planet Hollywood

22. This company was founded during the Second World War to construct runways. In response to the mass exodus after Partition, the company built India's largest refugee camp at Dubulia. It has also built the world's largest integrated leather complex at Calcutta. Identify the current owner of the company.
Answer: Jagmohan Dalmiya

23. (***) On 31st January, 1954 David Sarnoff exclaimed – “I didn’t kill Armstrong.” Who / what was he referring to?
Answer: Edwin Armstrong. Before Edwin had invented FM, the standard for radio waves was AM and RCA was the foremost company in radio. This led to a fight between Sarnoff and Armstrong, resulting in breaking up of Edwin’s marriage and on January 31, 1954 Armstrong committed suicide.

24. His stint with advertising began in 1987, with Allwyn’s Trendy Watch campaign. He went on to compose more than 300 ad films – Boost with Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar, MRF Tyres, Premier Pressure cooker, Asian Paints, Hero Puch, etc. He owns Panchathan Record Inn, one of India’s most advanced studios. Who?
Answer: A R Rahman

25. Inaugurated by Amitabh Bachchan on June 7, 2006 it is the first of its kind in India. It enables people to exchange money on the internet and all one must have is a valid e-mail id. What is this and which company introduced it?
Answer: wallet365.com; Times Group

26. Identify the company. (Logo)
Answer: Hinduja Group

27. The founder of this company is a graduate in International Affairs from Princeton University and a PhD in International Affairs from University of Denver. Founded in 1978 as a one man artisan workshop, it was only in 1990 that he got serious about his hobby, setting up a factory near his house at Pondicherry. Identify the person and the company.
Answer: Dilip Kapur; HiDesign

28. (***) The Marketing Department of this company wanted to gift something to their top UK clients. Terence Donovan came up with an idea in 1963. The company commissioned Robert Freeman and the first one appeared in 1964. What?
Answer: Pirelli Calendar

29. The following picture shows a person being conferred Honorary Alumnus by University of Florida. Identify him and his creation.
Answer: Dr. Robert Cade; Gatorade

30. Hyderabad-based Heritage Foods is a market leader in dairy products in Andhra Pradesh and has a significant brand presence in other Southern states. This Rs. 250-cr company is listed on both BSE and NSE. Identify the promoter family.
Answer: Chandrababu Naidu

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