Quiz: Test your knowledge of news and current affairs

The collapse of stockbroking firm Opes Prime sent shockwaves through the business community this week and dominated headlines. Have you kept up with the latest?

 1. ANZ Bank is one of two financiers that now control stock in hundreds of small and medium cap companies following the collapse of stockbroker Opes Prime. What is the other?

a) Commonwealth Bank

b) Merrill Lynch

c) Bear Stearns

Here’s a clue

2. Approximately how many listed Australian companies are estimated to have been affected by the Opes Prime collapse?

a) more than 50

b) more than 200

c) more than 500

Here’s a clue

3. Which global brand was recently voted the world’s strongest on a range of measures – including the brand they’d most like to sit next to in a dinner party – in a recent survey of 2000 marketing professionals?

a) Coca-cola

b) Apple

c) Google

Here’s a clue

4. Businesses in the US have begun mandating ‘topless’ meetings in an effort to improve communication between the staff. What is a topless meeting?

a) Staff attend the meeting with naked from the waste up.

b) A meeting in which top level management are prevented from attending.

c) Laptops are banned at the meeting.

Here’s a clue

5. Which high-profile entrepreneur is the driving force behind a bid launched this week for fashion retailer Just Group?

a) Ron Walker

b) John Fletcher

c) Solomon Lew

Here’s a clue

6. A recent KPMG survey ranked Australia as the fourth most competitive industrialised country in the world behind Mexico, Canada and the US. But which Australia capital city was voted the most competitive?

a) Melbourne

b) Sydney

c) Perth

Here’s a clue

7. Auction clearance rates tumbled by 4% in which Australian capital city last weekend?

a) Sydney

b) Canberra

c) Melbourne

Here’s a clue

8. A survey this week found Australia is lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to shopping on the internet. Which Australian entrepreneur recently described online retailing as a “waste of time”?

a) Harvey Norman’s Gerry Harvey

b) Boost Juice’s Janine Ellis

c) Fantastic Furniture’s Julian Tertini

Here’s a clue

10. The Federal Government this week cancelled the contract for the roll out of which $968 billion telecommunications program?

a) a national fibre to the node network.

b) a wireless broadband network in rural and regional Australia.

c) the Broadband Connect program of subsidies for people in difficult to service internet areas.

Here’s a clue

11. It was this week revealed that Alistair Jeffrey is driving a management buyout of the finance company he founded in an attempt to lead it out of difficulties it is currently facing thanks to the global credit squeeze. What is its name?

a) Liberty Financial

b) Challenger Finance

c) Bluestone Group

Here’s a clue

How did you go? Click here for the answers, and if you’re brave enough let me know how you did by sending in a comment using the field below.

The Quizmaster is young, sharp and business savvy – or at least he thinks he is – and loves nothing more than testing the know-how of his fellow entrepreneurs. Love him or hate him, he doesn’t care – but answer all 10 questions of his weekly business quiz correctly and he’ll be quick to recognise you as a fellow member of the business cogniscenti. Think of him as your business knowledge personal trainer.