Brand Quest      (January 29, 2004)

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I.

1. He served as President of International Paper Co, after which he was Alcoa's CEO for 12 years. He could not hold on to a prestigious post he got elected to after quitting Alcoa. A new book, The Price of Loyalty, claims to provide insights into what hap pened while he was holding that post. He now works in an advisory capacity with the Blackstone group, a private investment bank. Can you name this person?
   
   
   

2. But for this man, this tiny Bijapur village, at least its name, would never have been known to the outside world! After finishing his B.Com, he began his career with Filix India, where he worked as a sales executive. Following a brief stint with a gues thouse, he took up employment in Saudi Arabia. Returning to India, he set up a manpower consultancy service. But his big opportunity to run a multi-crore 'business' came when he bagged a licence from the Government in '94. Can you name the village?
   
   
   

3. The Indian Aluminium Company (Indal) belongs to which group?
   
   
   

4. What was started by two Ph.D candidates at Stanford University as a hobby is now a global brand. Although their venture's name is an acronym, the word also denotes "a crude or a brutish person." Now comes the clincher. The venture's name has been known to Shammi Kapoor's fans for a long, long time. Which's it?
   
   
   

5. In 1987, a Japanese company's attempt to buy an 80 per cent stake in Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation proved futile. As Fairchild was a leading manufacturer of computer chips, vital for US defence, the country's opposition to the Japanese company's move grew. The Japanese concern finally gave in to political pressure and withdrew its bid. The US lawmakers didn't stop at that; they introduced the Exon-Florio amendment to the Defense Production Act, to prevent takeovers that threaten US national secu rity. Which Japanese company's bid are we referring to?
   
   
   

6. This organisation called itself 'Clark' and the other party 'Park' while negotiating their merger. Codes had to be used in order to keep it all hush-hush. Incidentally, Clark and Park are the names of the streets where the organisations' headquarters a re located. Which recent merger are we referring to?
   
   
   

7. Easy! Which company publishes The Wall Street Journal?