The Role of ICTs in Native American Owned Micro-Enterprises-A Framing Analysis

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are seen to be drivers for the development of emerging regions. Many small businesses in the United States, including Native American owned micro-enterprises, are facing unique challenges in the adoption of ICTs to improve business performance. This research follows an inductive qualitative approach to find out which of the factors could potentially lead to the adoption of technologies by Native American micro-enterprises owners. Based on interviews from four Native American owned micro-enterprises, Characteristics of ICTs, Personal Inequality, and Community Engagement are identified as key factors that lead to the adoption of ICTs. The contribution of this study is the identification of these factors, and in the ways in which they relate to each other. This research also offers a cyclical view of relationships between factors that influence Native American micro-entrepreneurs’ adoption of technology.