Information Technology for Development in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Development is a concept that is often used to describe growth in organizations and the regions in which they reside. While research in Information Systems (IS) recognizes the importance of Information Technology (IT) in improving the organizational performance, a great deal of emphasis is given towards understanding large organizations. While social-economic development and transformation relies on new technological infrastructures and organizational changes, there is still a weak link between the organization studies with Information Technology (IT) as it relates to the growth of organizations. It appears that a greater research focus is needed in understanding the use of IT in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). It is critical to understand the role of IT artifacts in SMEs and whether the use of IT could lead to their growth and development. This research-in-progress study provides an overview of what is known about Information Technology for Development (IT4D) in SMEs, identifies the knowledge gaps, and proposes a framework for future research. The contribution of this paper is in identifying how do IS researchers approach and conceptualize IT4D research on SMEs