Summary

The option for consumers to make payments for services and products via mobile telephones has created a dynamic new industry. High-Tech Entrepreneurship in Asia illustrates how small, entrepreneurial firms in Asia have devised and produced innovations crucial for this industry's development.

Marina Zhang and Mark Dodgson explore the evolution of the mobile payment industry which has emerged in recent years through the convergence of services provided by financial and mobile telecommunications companies. They consider how leading Asian economies are increasingly becoming the source of important technological innovations. Detailed case studies are used to reveal the technological, social, political, national and cultural factors that encourage and constrain entrepreneurship in Asia, paying particular attention to China and Korea, the industry vanguards. The role played by entrepreneurial start-ups in bridging the gap between banking, credit card and mobile telecommunications sectors is also explored.

This highly original work will strongly appeal to students, researchers, policymakers and managers interested in international entrepreneurship, innovation, industrial and technological development and Asian business.