PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a decision model for selecting a third party logistics (3PL) provider, because international business can be a complex undertaking. It is a multi‐criteria problem, with alternative ways to weigh the importance of the chosen criteria.Design/methodology/approachThe paper used analytic hierarchy process and hierarchical decision model approaches.FindingsGiven the criteria, weights and attribute scores, it was found that two 3PLs ranked very closely in the top position. It was also found that a simple ranking of the criteria can produce very similar aggregate weights, provided the number of experts is high enough. The paper contains an extensive literature review on the usage of AHP and related methods in a logistics context.Originality/valueThis study applies AHP in a 3PL provider for international business, for the first time in the literature.

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In order for the United States, as well as other nations, to decrease their dependency and reliance on imported fossil fuel, to control and reduce the largest source of their carbon emission, and to secure their national transportation system, a faster transition from the Internal Combustion Engine to the Electric Vehicle has to be promoted. The public and private sectors will have to work hand in hand to ensure reaching such a national goal. This paper lays out a technology roadmap for a private company 'Tesla Motors', proposing a balanced mixed basket of Technology Push and market Pull strategy in order to get closer and closer to the desired goal. Fossil fuel does not have to run out in order for the transition to take place. After all, the reason why humanity came out of the Stone Age was not due to the lack of stones, there still plenty out there.

The October-December 1992 issue of Vikalpa had carried a Perspectives feature on the topic: “Management Education: Yesterday, To-day and To-morrow” wherein we had published four contributions on the theme by Samuel Paul, Joe Philip, J K Satia and N R Sheth. In this issue, we carry a response on their contributions. Readers are welcome to contribute to this feature on any interesting topics covered in Vikalpa.