Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to study competition and marketing challenges that granite exporters from India faced in the USA market for apprehending both the domestic and the export markets.

Design: This paper is descriptive in nature, and it applied snowball sampling method to report a survey of 82 completed responses about the marketing challenges faced by Indian granite traders for the domestic market and the USA market. It used published data of granite businesses since the year 2004 to study trends for understanding competition.

Findings: The paper contemplated that with growing demand of granite both for the domestic market and the international market, especially the USA, India needs a paradigm shift in marketing strategy for granite. Key challenges were identified for driving success both in the domestic market and the USA market.

Practical Implications: The paper provided an insight about the dynamics at domestic as well as inter-country level for comparing competitive standing alongside the review of literature. It highlighted key challenges in the domestic market and in the USA market for use by policy makers, exporters, and academicians.

Originality/Value: The paper incorporated competition and marketing challenges of the granite business for generating ideas that could be used as basis for a policy action plan.

1) Abbasi, T., Poornima, P., Kannadasan, T., & Abbasi, S. A. (2013). Acid rain: Past, present, and future. International Journal of Environmental Engineering, 5 (3), 229-272.
2) Agarwal, G. M. (1995). Recent trends in the Indian ceramic industry. Transactions of the Indian Ceramic Society, 54(3), 84-86. DOI:10.1080/0371750X.1995.10804691
3) Barrick, M., Thurgood, G. R., Smith, T. A., & Courtright, S. H. (2014). Collective organizational engagement: Linking motivational antecedents, strategic implementation, and firm level performance. Academy of Management Journal, 58(1), 111-135. DOI: 10.5465/amj.2013.0227
4) Behera, P., Mohanty, R. P., & Prakash, A. (2015). Understanding construction supply chain management. Production Planning & Control : The Management of Operations, 26(16), 1332 - 1350. DOI:10.1080/09537287.2015.1045953
5) Edwards, J. F. (2003). Building the great pyramid: Probable construction methods employed at Giza. Technology and Culture, 44(2), 340-354. DOI : 10.1353/tech.2003.0063
6) Fan, Y. (2006). Branding the nation: What is being branded? Journal of Vacation Marketing, 12 (1), 5-14. doi: 10.1177/1356766706056633
7) Fan, Y. (2010). Branding the nation: Towards a better understanding. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 6 (2), 97-103. doi:10.1057/pb.2010.16
8) Fetscherin, M. (2010). The determinants and measurement of a country brand: The country brand strength index. International Marketing Review, 27(4), 466-479. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02651331011058617
9) Gandhi, G. P. (1999). Granite takes a new turn : Market survey. Retrieved from www.ffymag.com/admin/issuepdf/Granite.pdf
10) Government of India, Department of Commerce. (2014). Export import data bank ver 7.2. Retrieved from http://www.commerce.nic.in/eidb/default.asp
11) Henrikson, A. K. (2013). Sovereignty, diplomacy, and democracy: The changing character of "international" representation-from state to self. The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, 37 (3), 112 - 140.
12) IMYB. (2012). Granite. In, Indian minerals yearbook 2011 (pp. 43-2 – 43-13, 50th ed., Part- II). Nagpur : Government of India, Ministry of Mines, Indian Bureau of Mines. Retrieved from www.ibm.gov.in/IMYB%202011_Granite.pdf
13) Investing.com. (n.d.). USD/INR streaming chart. Retrieved from http://in.investing.com/currencies/usd-inr-chart
14) Kalamova, M. M., & Konrad, K. A. (2010). Nation brands and foreign direct investment. Kyklos, 63 (3), 400-431. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6435.2010.00480.x
15) Krishna, A. (2014). The care and management of historic Hindu temples in India: An examination of preservation policies influenced by the Venice Charter in Non-Judeo-Christian contexts. Change Over Time, 4 (2), 358-386.
16) Lenartowicz, T., & Johnson, J. P. (2007). Staffing managerial positions in emerging markets: A cultural perspective. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 2(3), 207-214. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17468800710758369
17) LITOS Online. (2013). A different China now - new questions for the stone industry. Retrieved from http://www.litosonline.com/en/articles/en/531/different-china-now-new-questions-stone-industry
18)Mellahi, K., Demirbag, M., & Riddle, L. (2011). Multinationals in the Middle East: Challenges and opportunities. Journal of World Business, 46 (4), 406-410. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2010.10.001
19)Mendoza, J. M. F., Oliver-Solà, J., Gabarrell, X., Rieradevall, J., & Josa, A. (2012). Planning strategies for promoting environmentally suitable pedestrian pavements in cities. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 17 (6), 442-450. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2012.05.008
20)Menezes, R. R., Brasileiro, M. I., Santana, L. N., Neves, G. A., Lira, H. L., & Ferreira, H. C. (2008). Utilization of kaolin processing waste for the production of porous ceramic bodies. Waste Management & Research, 26 (4), 362-368.
21)Menezes, R. R., de Araújo Neves, G., Ferreira, H. C., & de Lucena Lira, H. (2002). Recycling of granite industry waste from the North East region of Brazil. Environmental Management and Health, 13 (2), 134-141. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09566160210424527
22)Menezes, R. R., Ferreira, H. S., Neves, G. A., Lira, H. D. L., & Ferreira, H. C. (2005). Use of granite sawing wastes in the production of ceramic bricks and tiles. Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 25 (7), 1149-1158.
23)Mishra, M., & Walvekar, S. (2015). Understanding the competitive scenario of granite exports from India to USA. Arthshastra Indian Journal of Economics & Research, 4(2), 22-30. DOI: 10.17010/aijer/2015/v4i2/65543
24)Mitra, C. (2013). Falling rupee against dollar: Reasons and possible remedies. Avant garde, IIT Kanpur MBA Monthly e-Newsletter. Retrieved from http://www.iitk.ac.in/ime/MBA_IITK/avantgarde/?p=1196
25)Mitra, S. K. (2013). How exceptional is India's democracy? Path dependence, political capital, and context in South Asia. India Review, 12(4), 227-244. DOI:10.1080/14736489.2013.846783
26)Mugobo, V. V. (2014). Public diplomacy in the global age: Lessons from literature and practice. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5 (27), 42 -48. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n27p42
27) Porter, M. E. (1991). Towards a dynamic theory of strategy. Strategic Management Journal, 12 (S2), 95-117. DOI: 10.1002/smj.4250121008
28) Simonin, B. L. (2008). Nation branding and public diplomacy: Challenges and opportunities. Fletcher F. World Affairs, 32, p. 19.
29) Spence, K. (2000). Ancient Egyptian chronology and the astronomical orientation of pyramids. Nature, 408 (6810), 320-324. doi:10.1038/35042510
30) Stone World. (2014). Stone world statistics. Retrieved from http://www.stoneworld.com/stats
31) Sweet, C. (2010). Indian pharmaceuticals in Brazil: Emerging multinationals in emerging markets. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 5 (3/4), 398-422. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17468801011058442