With 130 million people crammed into an area smaller than the state of Georgia, a per capita GDP of around $300 a year, a quixotic climate and a culture of bribes, threats and corruption, Bangladesh faces a growing crisis.

Will it make "a great leap forward" and meet the demands of globalization and a knowledge-based world trade regime? Or will it choke on the polluted air of stale industries, stagnant initiatives and politicized education?

Change, claims the author, is essential. As president of the country's leading business forum, the FBCCI, Abdul Awal Mintoo brings a managerial mindset to the problem:

Can his wide-ranging suggestions, set out in this lucid and revealing study, work? He cites many that are already under way, and others that are nearing completion. A pragmatist, he offers nothing less than a blueprint for survival. Fully researched, and referenced with tables, notes and maps, this guide will be of immense usefulness to students and administrators, as well as to the business community. It offers hope and the light of wisdom to a nation that is close to the author's heart.