This empirical study is aimed to analyze the determinants of residential water demand and performed water use practice at household level in Hawassa. This study will fill the research gap and information on factors affecting household water demand in regions being water scarce and will provide useful information for policy-makers and water utility planners in order to use scarce drinking water resource more efficiently. In this study the proposed potential factors determine household water demand in Hawassa were; Socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, the average monthly household expenditure, use of water appliances and household water use patterns for various purposes, and household awareness towards water source conservation. The cross sectional survey was done in 169 rondomly selected households. The collected Data was analyzed using multiple regression models with different functional forms (linear, semi-log) and heteroskedaticity corrected model was also used in each of functional forms to examine the structural relationship between the quantity of water demand and explanatory variables. The gretl statisitcal software package was used. The descriptive statistics analysis was also followed to present results in tables, charts and graphs (mean, median, minimum, maximum, frequency...

Bakalauro baigiamajame darbe analizuojamos elektroninės bankininkystės paslaugos Lietuvoje, lyginant jas su Europos Sąjungos valstybėmis, JAV, PAR, Rusija, Kinija, Brazilija, Australija. Pirmoje darbo dalyje pateikiami teoriniai elektroninės bankininkystės aspektai: rūšys, priemonės, privalumai ir trūkumai. Antroje darbo dalyje atlikta Lietuvos ir pasirinktų pasaulio valstybių elektroninės bankininkystės paslaugų palyginamoji analizė. Remiantis negrynųjų pinigų atsiskaitymus, mokėjimo korteles, bankomatus apibūdinančiais rodikliais nustatyta, jog Lietuva gali pasigirti panašia elektroninės bankininkystės priemonių kiekio struktūra, tačiau pagal vertines atliekamų operacijų elektroninėje erdvėje išraiškas Lietuva atsiduria žemiausiose pozicijose analizuojamų valstybių kontekste. Koreliacinės-regresinės analizės metu nustatyta, jog negrynųjų pinigų atsiskaitymus Lietuvoje lemia vidutinis mėnesinis darbo užmokestis, bedarbių skaičius, mokėjimo kortelių skaičius šalyje, infliacija, grynųjų pinigų išėmimo operacijų bankomatuose vertė. Atlikus elektroninės bankininkystės perspektyvų vertinimą nustatyta, kad elektroninė bankininkystė Lietuvoje ir toliau plėsis: daugės elektroninės bankininkystės vartotojų, modernės vartotojų aptarnavimo ir apsaugos platformos elektroninėje erdvėje. / Bachelor final work examines e-banking services of the commercial banks operating in Lithuania and compared with EU countries, USA, South Africa, Russia, China, Brazil and Australia. The first part represent the theoretical aspects of electronic banking: sorts, devices, advantages and disadvantages. The second part of the work represent the carried out analysis of electronic banking service in Lithuania and other selected countries. Based on cashless payments, payment cards, ATMs describing indicators, Lithuania is very similar with other countries in e-banking devices using but in cashless payments operations values Lithuania is at the lowest positions in the context of the analysed countries. The correlation-regression analyse showed that there are five factors which determine the cashless payments in Lithuania: the average monthly average, the number of unemployed, the number of payment card in country, inflation, cash withdrawals from ATMs value. The qualitative analyse of prospects for e-banking showed that e-banking in Lithuania will grow: the number of e-banking consumers continues to grow, consumers’ service platforms will become more modern and safer.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-12-08T09:59:42Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Jairo Fernando Taufick França - 2017.pdf: 2496586 bytes, checksum: c813a87e7f12d9982884cadf7dc7517d (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-12-08T10:12:27Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Jairo Fernando Taufick França - 2017.pdf: 2496586 bytes, checksum: c813a87e7f12d9982884cadf7dc7517d (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-12-08T10:12:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Jairo Fernando Taufick França - 2017.pdf: 2496586 bytes, checksum: c813a87e7f12d9982884cadf7dc7517d (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-09-01 / The importance of Government Procurement comes from the constitutional imposition. This fact forces the Public Administration to process the public bidding for the purchase of goods and services to meet society demands. Thus, moving up a significant part of the economy, around 10% to 15% of the GDP in Brazil. The procurement process is imperative to the achievement of Public Administration objectives. It is important to emphasize that it will be possible to get the reduction of the public expenditure and the stakeholders satisfaction, only achieving efficiency on this process of purchasing and service contracting. In order to contribute to fill gaps in the scientific literature, this study analyses the data of 3.310 public biddings in Goiás State during 2012 to 2016, in the Electronic Procurement. The study aimed to identify the determinant factors of the efficiency of the Electronic Procurement, considering the analysis of Celerity and Economy. After the descriptive analysis, univariate analysis, such as the correlation of X2 and Pearson correlation, and multivariate analysis, such as the Multiple Correspondence Analysis – MCA and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis – HCA, the results showed that the determinant factors of the efficiency in Electronic Procurement are the following: a) nature of the expenditure, consumption or permanent; b) quantity of items in the process; c) biddings exclusively for micro enterprises – ME and small business – EPP; d) the size of the winning company in the bidding process, ME and EPP or any other; e) the administrative organization, direct and indirect public administration; f) municipal and state/federal election year; g) amount of the intended expenditure. This study contributes to fill in part of the theoretical gap on the multivariate analysis of the determinant factors in the performance of public procurement processes. / A importância do tema Compras Governamentais decorre de imposição constitucional que obriga a Administração Pública a processar licitação pública para aquisição de bens e contratação de serviços no atendimento às demandas da sociedade, movimentando uma relevante fatia da economia, da ordem de 10% a 15% do PIB do Brasil. O processo de compras é imperioso para a consecução dos objetivos da Administração Pública, e somente com eficiência nesse processamento das aquisições e contrações é que se alcançaria a redução do dispêndio público e a satisfação dos stakeholders. O presente estudo, com a finalidade de contribuir para preencher lacuna na literatura científica, analisa os dados de 3.310 licitações realizadas pelo Estado de Goiás do ano de 2012 a 2016, na modalidade Pregão Eletrônico. Objetivou analisar os fatores determinantes da eficiência do Pregão Eletrônico sob os atributos Celeridade e Economicidade. Após análise descritiva, análise univariada como correlação de X2 e a correlação de Pearson, e análise multivariada como Análise de Correspondência Múltipla – MCA e Análise Hierárquica de Cluster – HCA, os resultados demonstram que são fatores determinantes da eficiência do Pregão Eletrônico os seguintes: a) da natureza de despesa, consumo ou permanente; b) quantidade de itens no processo; c) licitações exclusivas para microempresas – ME e empresas de pequeno porte – EPP; d) o porte da empresa vencedora da licitação, ME e EPP ou demais; e) a organização administrativa, Administração Direta ou Indireta; f) ano eleitoral municipal e estadual/federal; g) vulto da despesa pretendida. Este estudo contribui com preenchimento de parte da lacuna teórica sobre a análise multivariada dos fatores determinantes no desempenho dos processos de compras públicas.

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the determinant factors affecting adherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV infected patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study design was used and data were collected by interviewing 290 study participants from two health facilities using structured questionnaire. The research finding revealed 80.0% of the study participants had optimal combined adherence to dose, schedule and dietary instructions in the past three days. And, the non adherence rate was 20.0%. In multivariate analysis only WHO clinical stage, change of ARV medication, knowledge about HIV disease and ART, and use of reminders were found to be independently associated with adherence to antiretroviral therapy. The most common reasons for missing HIV medications in the past one month were forgetfulness (35.1%), being busy with other things (17.5%), and running out of pills (10.5%). Adherence improving interventions should be emphasized to address multi-faceted problems. This study recommends setting of convenient appointment schedule, disclosure of one's HIV status, maintaining confidentiality of patient-related information, enhancing patient-provider relationship, use of reminders including SMS text messages, and engagement of PLHIV in adherence improving interventions through peer support, and providing regular health education to the PLHIV to improve adherence of patients to ART / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

Bolag står ständigt inför beslut kring val av finansiering och dessa beslut resulterar i bolagens kapitalstruktur. Kapitalstrukturen har undersökts sedan en lång tid tillbaka och flera olika teorier har växt fram. Än idag finns det dock ingen teori som kan förklara kapitalstrukturen på ett tillfredsställande sätt. Eftersom det inte finns några tydliga tecken på att det finns en optimal kapitalstruktur eller hur en sådan skulle kunna se ut, kan kapitalstrukturen variera. Denna undersökning har tagit fasta på två av de mest kända teorierna för att förklara kapitalstrukturen, trade-off teorin och pecking order teorin. Undersökningen har en tvärsnittsdesigns utformning och studerar hur lönsamhet, tillväxt, storlek, materiella tillgångar, likviditet, icke-skuld skattesköld och bransch påverkar kapitalstrukturen. Fokus ligger på den svenska marknaden och ämnar att kunna generalisera kring svenska börsnoterade bolag. Resultatet av denna undersökning bidrar till en ökad förståelse för kapitalstrukturen men vi är långt ifrån en fullständig bild av ämnet. Undersökningens slutsatser skiljer sig till viss del från tidigare forskning eftersom den hittar stöd för båda teorierna. Ingen av teorierna går dock att applicera i sin helhet på den svenska marknaden vilket tyder på att forskningsområdet fortfarande behöver utvecklas och nya idéer tillkomma. / Companies are constantly faced with making decisions regarding their choice of financing and these decisions result in the company’s capital structure. The capital structure has been studied for a long time and several theories have emerged. Still to this day there’s no theory that can explain the capital structure in a satisfying way. Since there are no clear signs that an optimal capital structure exists nor how one would look, the capital structure can vary. This study has its foundation in two of the most well-known theories that try to explain capital structures, the trade-off theory and the pecking order theory. This cross-sectional study examines how profitability, growth, size, tangible assets, liquidity, non-debt tax shield and industry affect capital structure. The focus lies on the Swedish market and intends to generalize about listed Swedish companies. The result of this paper contributes to an increased understanding of capital structure but we are far from a complete comprehension of the subject. The conclusion of this study partially differs from previous research as it finds support for both theories. However none of the theories are applicable on the Swedish market as a whole which suggests that further research is required along with the addition of new ideas. This paper is written in Swedish.

Objetivo Caracterizar a ocorrência de dengue na cidade de Rio Brando, estado do Acre, no período de 2000 a 2007, no tempo, no espaço e segundo infestação pelo Aedes aegypti e vari- áveis demográficas, socioeconômicas, ambientais e climáticas. Métodos Foi realizada uma descrição da incidência de dengue (CI) e da infestação predial pelo Aedes aegypti (IIP) no período de 2000 a 2007 a partir de dados secundários. Descreveu-se a incidência da dengue em relação ao sexo, faixa etária e escolaridade. O Coeficiente de Incidência e o Índice de In- festação Predial foram testados para aferição de correlações com variáveis climáticas, demo- gráficas, ambientais e socioeconômicas. Foi aplicada a técnica de geoprocessamento com o uso da estatística espacial de Moran Global e Local (LISA) para avaliar a autocorrelação es- pacial dos coeficientes de incidência de dengue entre as localidades urbanas da cidade. Resul- tados - A epidemiologia da dengue na cidade é caracterizada por elevada incidência e intensa infestação predial pelo Aedes aegypti. Não existe diferença na incidência de dengue entre ho- mens e mulheres e a faixa etária mais acometida compreende jovens e adultos de 15 a 49 anos e escolares que não concluíram o ensino médio. A distribuição da doença mostra um padrão sazonal com elevação da incidência nos períodos chuvosos e regressão nos períodos secos. O aumento de casos de dengue e da infestação predial mostrou associação significante (p<0,05) com bairros populosos, onde existe muitos imóveis e alta infestação predial. O aumento das ocorrências se mostrou significante com áreas com baixo índice de abastecimento de água pela rede pública. O Índice de Qualidade de Vida (IQV) não apresentou correlação significa- tiva com a ocorrência de dengue, entretanto, a infestação predial foi mais elevada nos bairros com melhor IQV. A estatística de Moran Global e Local (LISA) mostrou fraca dependência espacial (p<0,05) da incidência de dengue entre bairros da cidade. Conclusão - A análise epi- demiológica da dengue na cidade permitiu visualizar fatores que estão relacionados à trans- missão de dengue e na proliferação do Aedes aegypti que podem ser avaliados na formulação de estratégias mais eficazes para alcançar o melhor controle da doença. O uso da análise espa- cial evidenciou que a distribuição da incidência de dengue entre os bairros da cidade ocorre de maneira aleatória / Objective - Characterize the ocurring of dengue in the city of Rio Branco, Acre, during the period 2000 to 2007, in time and space, and according to the infestation of Aedes Aegypti and the demographic, social-economical, environmental and climatical variables. Methods - a description of dengue incidence (CI) and the house infestation by Aedes aegypti (HI) was made in the period of 2000 to 2007 from secondary data. The distribution of cases was described according to gender, age and education. The Incidence Coefficient of incidence and the House Index Infestation were tested to measure their correlations with demographic, environmental and socioeconomic climatic variables. The geoprocessing technique was applied with the use of Global and Local Moran (LISA) spatial statistics to evaluate spatial autocorrelation of incidence of dengue among the urban localities in the city. Results - The epidemiology of dengue in the city is characterized by high incidence and severe infestation of Aedes aegypti. Theres no difference between the incidence of dengue on men and women and the most affected age group comprises young adults from the age of 15 to 49 years old and students who have not completed high school. The distribution of the disease shows a seasonal pattern with increased incidence in rainy periods and regression in dry periods. The increase of dengue cases and the building infestation showed significant association (p <0.05) with the populated districts, where there are many buildings and high building infestation. The increase in occurrence was found significant in areas with low public water supply. The Quality of Life Index (QLI) showed no significant correlation with the occurrence of dengue, however, the infestation rate was higher in districts with better QLI. Global and Local Moran (LISA) statistics showed weak spatial dependence (p <0.05) of the incidence of dengue among neighborhoods. Conclusion - The epidemiological analysis of dengue in the city allowed the visualization of the factors that are related to the transmission of dengue and the proliferation of Aedes aegypti that can be assessed in the formulation of more effective strategies to achieve better control of the disease. The use of the spatial analysis revealed the randomness of dengue incidence distribution among the neighborhoods of the city

A existência de especificidade temporal na produção do confinamento de bovinos, que limita o período de negociação e busca por preços mais atrativos, corrobora com a necessidade do uso de mecanismos de hedge. Este pode ser feito pelo confinador com o uso da BM&F Bovespa, via contratos futuros e de opções, ou diretamente com os frigoríficos, por meio de contratos a termo. O objetivo desta dissertação é identificar fatores determinantes para a utilização de hedge (contratos futuros, de opções e termo) por confinadores. Foram realizadas pesquisas com confinadores participantes de eventos realizados em Ribeirão Preto-SP, em 2012 e 2013, e por telefone em 2014. Para a análise dos dados foram utilizadas estatísticas descritivas. Em seguida, com uso do Teste Exato de Fisher, foi analisada a associação das características dos confinamentos e pecuaristas ao uso do hedge. Com o intuito de identificar os determinantes para o uso de ferramentas de gestão de preços, foram elaborados modelos de regressão logística. Os resultados indicaram que o tamanho do confinamento, a escolaridade do gestor, o controle acurado de custos, o confinamento exclusivo, a utilização de hedge para os grãos, uso anterior de ferramentas e a parceria com frigoríficos têm relação com a utilização de uma ou mais formas de gestão de risco de preços do boi gordo. / The existence of temporal specificity in the production of feedlot cattle, which limits the period of negotiation and search for more attractive prices, confirms the necessity of using hedging mechanisms by feedlot cattle producers. The hedging can be done via BM&F Bovespa, through futures and options, or directly with slaughterhouses, through forward contracts. The aim of this study is identify determinants for using hedge (futures contracts, options contracts and forward contracts) by feedlot cattle producers. Surveys were applied to participants of events in Ribeirão Preto-SP, in 2012 and 2013, and via phone in 2014. Descriptive statistics of data were obtained and the determinants for using hedge were investigated using hypothesis tests. The relations between the producer\'s and feedlot\'s characteristics with hedging use were tested by Fisher Exact Test. In order to identify the determinants for the use of hedge, logistic regression models were implemented. The results have indicated that the size of the confinement, the manager\'s educational level, the high cost control, the feedlot as the only activity, the use of hedging for grains, the prior use of these tools and the partnership with slaughterhouses are related to the use of one or more ways to manage price risk of cattle.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-06-08T12:04:17Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Mariana Lanner de Araujo Simon_.pdf: 949297 bytes, checksum: a070cc1b62bb16a641fb5357e0431bd3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-08T12:04:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mariana Lanner de Araujo Simon_.pdf: 949297 bytes, checksum: a070cc1b62bb16a641fb5357e0431bd3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-28 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Este estudo visa a analisar os fatores determinantes da política de dividendos de dois grupos amostrais, o grupo composto por instituições financeiras e o grupo composto pelas demais companhias, que corresponde aos demais setores da economia. O objetivo é verificar se as instituições financeiras são diferentes das demais companhias em se tratando dos determinantes da política de dividendos. Utilizou-se o método Tobit com dados em painel desbalanceado em uma amostra de companhias abertas brasileiras listadas na B3 no período de 2000 a 2016, totalizando 3.167 observações. Os resultados sugerem que os fatores determinantes da política de dividendos influenciam de maneira diferente os dois grupos amostrais. Todas as variáveis de interesse do modelo influenciam o payout do grupo das demais companhias, enquanto apenas a estabilidade da política de dividendos (EPD) influencia o payout das instituições Financeiras na maioria das especificações desta pesquisa. A variável EPD combinada ao fato de a companhia ser instituição financeira apresenta efeito diferencial negativo no payout. Isso indica que o efeito dessa variável em relação ao payout é significativamente maior para as demais companhias do que para as instituições financeiras e reforça que, pelo menos no que se refere a esse fator, os grupos amostrais são de fato diferentes. No entanto, ao se comparar os resultados dos grupos amostrais com a amostra completa, observa-se que os resultados do grupo das demais companhias são semelhantes aos da amostra completa, em termos de sinal e significância estatística dos coeficientes das variáveis. Dessa forma, os resultados sugerem que a exclusão das instituições financeiras dos estudos sobre política de dividendos não acarreta alterações significativas nos resultados das estimações. Adicionalmente, para verificar a sensibilidade dos resultados ao período de análise, o período completo foi segmentado em cinco subperíodos definidos em função da variação dos cenários da economia brasileira. Verificou-se razoável variação nos fatores determinantes dependendo do subperíodo analisado, indicando que cenários econômicos distintos podem influenciar a política de dividendos dos grupos amostrais diferentemente e que os fatores determinantes não são constantes no tempo. / This study aims to analyze the determinant factors of the dividend policy of two sample groups being the first comprised of financial institutions and the second by all of the remaining publicly traded companies. This analysis is carried out in order to verify whether financial institutions are different from all of the other companies in terms of dividend policy’s determinants. Through Tobit Models with unbalanced panel data, this study has analyzed the Brazilian publicly traded firms listed in B3 between the years 2000 and 2016, totaling 3,167 firm-year observations. The results suggest that the main determinants of the dividend policy reported in the literature influence the dividend policy of the two sample groups differently. All of the variables of interest considered in the main econometric model have influenced the payout of the non-financial companies, while only the stability of the dividend policy (EPD) has influenced the payout of financial institutions in the majority of the specifications of this research. The EPD variable combined with the fact that the company is a financial institution has a negative differential effect on its payout. This indicates that the effect of this variable on payout has been significantly greater for the non-financial companies than for financial institutions, thus reinforcing that, at least in what refers to this factor, the sample groups are in fact different. However, by comparing the results of regressions of the sample groups to regressions estimated for the complete sample, it can be observed that the results of non-financial companies are similar to those of the complete sample in terms of signal and statistical significance of the variables’ coefficients. Thus results suggest that the exclusion of financial institutions from studies on dividend policy has not result in significant changes in the econometric estimations. In order to verify the sensitivity of results to the chosen period of analysis, the complete period has been segmented into five subperiods chosen according to variations of the Brazilian economic scenario. There was a reasonable variation in the determinant factors depending on the analyzed subperiods, indicating that different economic scenarios can influence the dividend policy of the sample groups differently, and that determinant factors are not constant in time.

<p>Information Technology (IT) plays a significant role in today business competition. A prominent role is that it helps a firm to manage relationships with customers effectively. Adoption of appropriate technology can lead the firm to greater business competency, improve its business performance, and ensure it retains its competitive advantages. While there is a rich body of literature on IT innovation adoption and implementation, research on the adoption of IT innovation that is specifically intended to perform relationship marketing functions is scant. The problem in this research is to address the lack of a research framework for examining the factors influencing the adoption of techno-relationship innovations. The existing adoption models are insufficient in properly explaining which factors are involved in the adoption decision and which factors are more important, and are especially insufficient with regard to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).</p><p>The aim of this study is to develop a comprehensive research framework used for exploring the factors affecting the adoption of techno-relationship innovations and to apply this framework for empirically investigating the adoption of electronic Customer Relationship Management (eCRM) applications in manufacturing SMEs. This study proposes the term ‘techno-relationship innovation’ and defines it as a technology-related idea, process, method, product, or service that is intended to perform relationship marketing tasks and which is perceived as new to an individual or a firm. The developed research framework contains 20 potential determinant factors covering four contexts: individual, technological, organizational, and environmental.</p><p>This study was conducted through survey research and the sample was drawn by means of systematic sampling technique. The empirical data were collected by using self-administered questionnaires and the data analysis was based on 508 manufacturing SMEs in Thailand. The analysis was based on multivariate statistical techniques including t-test, factor analysis, deiscriminant analysis, and cluster analysis. The findings reveal interesting insights into understanding the adoption of eCRM applications by manufacturing SMEs.</p><p>The Key Influential Factors (KIF) model is proposed summarizing the conclusions of the study. It indicates what factors in what contexts should be given more or less attention. From 20 factors, the analysis indicates that 12 factors are important factors that should be given high priority. They are Compatibility, Industry Pressure, Customer Pressure, Subjective Norm, Attitude, External Support, Perceived Advantage, Observability, Perceived Relationship Marketing Functionality, Technological Expertise, Perceived Easiness, and Financial Resources. Five factors have the capability to discriminate between eCRM adopters and non-adopters but their discriminant powers are weak so they receive second priority. They are Competitive Pressure, Innovativeness, Business Experience, Governmental Encouragement, and Internet Experience. The other three factors appear insignificant but they should not be completely ignored when encouraging the adoption of eCRM applications. Thus, these three factors receive third priority. They are Size, Trialability, and Self-efficacy.</p><p>Furthermore, the eCRM adopters are classified into three groups: basic adopters, moderate adopters, and advanced adopters. The inference is that the basic eCRM adopters are uncertain whether eCRM applications are really needed for business success. In contrast, the moderate and advanced eCRM adopters require different attention which is related to maximizing the advantages of eCRM applications. This classification offers solid information for market segmentation purposes in the eCRM industry.</p><p>Study implications are acknowledged. A comprehensive research framework is proposed suggesting 20 potential determinant factors involved in examining the adoption of techno-relationship innovations. This research framework provides a tool to marketing researchers in conducting further research. Empirical investigation leads to the KIF model that offers guidance to government and private agencies in properly encouraging the adoption of eCRM applications and their relevant components among manufacturing SMEs. Moreover, the study’s limitations and suggestions for further research are provided.</p>

Information Technology (IT) plays a significant role in today business competition. A prominent role is that it helps a firm to manage relationships with customers effectively. Adoption of appropriate technology can lead the firm to greater business competency, improve its business performance, and ensure it retains its competitive advantages. While there is a rich body of literature on IT innovation adoption and implementation, research on the adoption of IT innovation that is specifically intended to perform relationship marketing functions is scant. The problem in this research is to address the lack of a research framework for examining the factors influencing the adoption of techno-relationship innovations. The existing adoption models are insufficient in properly explaining which factors are involved in the adoption decision and which factors are more important, and are especially insufficient with regard to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The aim of this study is to develop a comprehensive research framework used for exploring the factors affecting the adoption of techno-relationship innovations and to apply this framework for empirically investigating the adoption of electronic Customer Relationship Management (eCRM) applications in manufacturing SMEs. This study proposes the term ‘techno-relationship innovation’ and defines it as a technology-related idea, process, method, product, or service that is intended to perform relationship marketing tasks and which is perceived as new to an individual or a firm. The developed research framework contains 20 potential determinant factors covering four contexts: individual, technological, organizational, and environmental. This study was conducted through survey research and the sample was drawn by means of systematic sampling technique. The empirical data were collected by using self-administered questionnaires and the data analysis was based on 508 manufacturing SMEs in Thailand. The analysis was based on multivariate statistical techniques including t-test, factor analysis, deiscriminant analysis, and cluster analysis. The findings reveal interesting insights into understanding the adoption of eCRM applications by manufacturing SMEs. The Key Influential Factors (KIF) model is proposed summarizing the conclusions of the study. It indicates what factors in what contexts should be given more or less attention. From 20 factors, the analysis indicates that 12 factors are important factors that should be given high priority. They are Compatibility, Industry Pressure, Customer Pressure, Subjective Norm, Attitude, External Support, Perceived Advantage, Observability, Perceived Relationship Marketing Functionality, Technological Expertise, Perceived Easiness, and Financial Resources. Five factors have the capability to discriminate between eCRM adopters and non-adopters but their discriminant powers are weak so they receive second priority. They are Competitive Pressure, Innovativeness, Business Experience, Governmental Encouragement, and Internet Experience. The other three factors appear insignificant but they should not be completely ignored when encouraging the adoption of eCRM applications. Thus, these three factors receive third priority. They are Size, Trialability, and Self-efficacy. Furthermore, the eCRM adopters are classified into three groups: basic adopters, moderate adopters, and advanced adopters. The inference is that the basic eCRM adopters are uncertain whether eCRM applications are really needed for business success. In contrast, the moderate and advanced eCRM adopters require different attention which is related to maximizing the advantages of eCRM applications. This classification offers solid information for market segmentation purposes in the eCRM industry. Study implications are acknowledged. A comprehensive research framework is proposed suggesting 20 potential determinant factors involved in examining the adoption of techno-relationship innovations. This research framework provides a tool to marketing researchers in conducting further research. Empirical investigation leads to the KIF model that offers guidance to government and private agencies in properly encouraging the adoption of eCRM applications and their relevant components among manufacturing SMEs. Moreover, the study’s limitations and suggestions for further research are provided.