Gendering Entrepreneurship and Technology: A Mixed Methods Study of Retailers in a Developing Economy

This study explored the application of technology in entrepreneurial activities of retailers in a developing economy. The conceptual framework for this study is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). TAM was adopted to examine gender differences in perceived usefulness, perceived user friendliness, and ICT usage among entrepreneurs in Cameroon. Specifically, this study examined the types of technological equipment used by male and female entrepreneurs and their reasons for the choice preferences. Cameroon's entrepreneurs in the North West Region were the subject of this study. The perceptions of 158 female and male entrepreneurs were surveyed and focus groups interviews/discussions conducted from December 2014 to February 2015. The non-random sampling approach was applied in selecting participants. Results indicate that there are gender differences in the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of ICT of choice by entrepreneurs in this study. The paper concludes by recommending further studies be conducted on entrepreneurs in all ten regions of the country in order to address the major limitation of this study.