ABSTRACT

Micro-firms are important for creating jobs and income in developing economies, but these firms face significant constraints, some of which could be ameliorated through ICT. However, it remains unclear which specific ICT uses are intensively employed by different entrepreneurial micro-firms. Notwithstanding external constraints, we examined differences in ICT use by comparably sized micro-firms operating in the same environment that exhibit different entrepreneurial attributes (proactiveness, innovativeness, risk-taking, and growth orientation). Using data from Zambian micro-firms, our findings demonstrate that the four entrepreneurial attributes have a positive yet different influence on three individual categories of ICT use: information and network access; online transaction and interaction; and in-house operations. Indirectly, we pinpoint which ICT applications will likely benefit entrepreneurial firms. Our findings could help researchers and policy-makers to target specific categories of ICT use that drive firm growth and nurture the desirable business behavioral orientations for deploying technology in business.

摘要

微型公司对于在发展中经济体创造就业和收入很重要，但是这些公司面临着巨大的制约因素，其中一些可以通过ICT加以缓解。但是，目前尚不清楚不同的企业微型公司集中使用了哪些特定的ICT技术。尽管有外部限制，我们还是通过在相同环境中运作的具有相同企业家特征（积极性，创新性，冒险精神和成长取向）的同等规模的微型公司研究了ICT使用的差异。利用来自赞比亚微型公司的数据，我们的发现表明，四个企业家属性对ICT使用的三个单独类别具有积极但不同的影响：信息和网络访问；在线交易和互动；和内部运营。间接地，我们确定了哪些ICT应用程序可能会使创业公司受益。我们的发现可以帮助研究人员和政策制定者确定ICT使用的特定类别，这些类别可以推动公司发展，并为在企业中部署技术提供良好的商业行为导向。