In many organizations, the salesforce is an important component of the workforce that shoulders the responsibility for revenues and market share. They are also a source of competitive advantage. Salesforce represents the single largest marketing investment for most Business-to-Business (B2B) companies. It is reported that the US companies alone spend more than $800 bn on their salesforce each year—three times more than they spend on advertising. The first paper in this issue, “Effective Salesforce Management Practices: A Real Option Approach” by Pankaj M Madhani discusses a new approach to value the contribution of salesforce in an organization by suggesting a ‘Real Options’ approach. This method enables organizations to evaluate the investment opportunities of salesforce in uncertain environments and highlights how these investments create value through future choices. Researchers apply this logic to analyze the uncertainties associated with human assets in sales organizations (i.e., salesforce) and discuss how sales organizations manage these uncertainties through salesforce ‘options’ which are capabilities generated by some Salesforce Management (SFM) practices and their combinations. According to the author, the basic understanding behind proposing this method is that salesforce should also be treated as any other investment in real assets with inherent uncertainties. This premise also provides an extension of how researchers and practitioners can approach the management of salesforce uncertainty and provide an alternative view of value creation.

The second paper, "Philip Morris International: Planning for a Smoke-Free Future" by Debapratim Purkayastha and Barnali Chakroborty is a case study on Philip Morris International. In the year 2014, Philip Morris International (PMI), a leading global cigarette and Tobacco Company, ventured into the ‘Heat but not burn' tobacco products category by launching the IQOS in Japan and Italy as a pilot project. The IQOS was a rechargeable electronic device that heated tubes of tobacco called the heatsticks. This reduced the risk when compared to traditional cigarettes in which tobacco was burned. The case study discusses how the tobacco industry was facing serious pressure in the last decade with annual consumption dropping by 2-2.5%. The case study goes on to describe how PMI sought to arrest this decline by launching what it called ‘Reduced Risk Products’ (RRP). At the heart of IQOS are sophisticated electronics that heat specially-designed heated tobacco units just enough to release a flavored nicotine containing vapor but without the burning tobacco. In an effort to lure all smokers away from combustible cigarettes, PMI test marketed IQOS and aimed to introduce the device in another 13 markets globally by the end of 2016. The case study looks at the first mover advantage in commercializing the IQOS with the help of Marlboro's global brand image. The case study also describes PMI’s strategy at commercializing RRPs and concludes how PMI can stay ahead of competition.

The third paper, "Transformational Leaders in Action: Theory Has Been There, But What About Practice?" by M Murat Yaslioglu and Nil SelenayErden deals with the topic of Transformational Leaders. According to the authors, transformational leadership is one of the most practiced and researched areas of management, with most of these studies using the construct developed by Bass (1991) to assess the presence or absence of transformational leadership behaviors. The authors take the theoretical construct developed by Bass (four dimensions) and compare it with actual behaviors in the field. Forty-seven participants from different nations were asked to evaluate the meaning of those items by asking their opinions about the “specific courses of action a leader takes”. The results reveal that participant views were a valuable tool in validating the existing dimensions. Doing so, the authors were able to define what transformational leaders need to do to transform their companies and lead the change. The study concludes by emphasizing the role of transformational leaders through a shared future vision, inspiration with confidence and charisma, stimulation in terms of growing their strengths and individualized consideration such as being familiar with their personal lives. The results highlight specific behaviors in accordance with the previously mentioned dimensions such as giving inspirational speeches (idealized influence), guiding others when needed (inspirational motivation), observing and detecting others’ weaknesses (intellectual stimulation), and asking questions about personal life (individualized consideration).

The final paper in this issue delves into a highly relevant topic of discussion, namely, "Issues and Challenges in E-Waste Management in India: A Gap Between Theory and Practice" by Mona Chaudhary, Kumar Shalender and Amit Kumar Mishra. E-waste management has the potential to wreak havoc on the environment if not treated and disposed off scientifically. According to the authors, the composition of e-waste is diverse and can be ‘hazardous’ and ‘non-hazardous’. Materials included in e-waste that can affect human health and environment are lead, mercury, cadmium, brominated flame, retardants, beryllium, arsenic, polyvinyl Chloride, etc. Globally, 50 million tons of e-waste are generated annually out of which India is responsible for 2.7 million tons (roughly 2.25 kg of waste per individual)—amongst the highest amount in the world. The alarming e-waste generation is a serious issue more for the developing countries like India as compared to developed nations, as to an extent developed countries have addressed the issue through policies, and scientific methods for managing e-waste. This paper discusses some existing theoretical models of e-waste management and highlights the importance of Extended Producer Responsibility Model but concludes that very small percentage of e-waste is getting disposed via this route. The authors suggest that serious efforts are needed in this direction with regulators and government playing the role of active catalysts.