دانشگاه علامه طباطبایی مطالعات تجربی حسابداری مالی 2821-0166 21 82 2024 08 22 The Relationship between Contingency Factors and Non-Financial Sustainability Performance: The Moderating Role of Managers' Behavioral Dimensions رابطه بین عوامل اقتضایی و عملکرد پایداری غیرمالی؛ نقش تعدیلی ابعاد رفتاری مدیران 43 98 17216 10.22054/qjma.2024.78069.2542 FA غریبه اسماعیلی کیا دانشیار گروه حسابداری دانشگاه ایلام،ایلام،ایران مهدیس ناصری دانشجوی کارشناسی ارشد دانشگاه ایلام، ایلام ، ایران امین قنبری دانشجوی کارشناسی ارشد حسابداری دانشگاه ایلام، ایلام.ایران 0009-0008-8287-0080 Journal Article 2024 02 02 In today’s world, a company’s profile is not determined solely by financial issues; rather, there is a growing need to include environmental and social perspectives. Consequently, there has been a rapidly increasing awareness of social and environmental activities, which in recent years has been considered under the concept of sustainability performance. According to the contingency theory, the implementation of a sustainability approach can vary significantly depending on an organization’s unique conditions. This theory has had significant implications for management decision-making, as management decisions are influenced by the characteristics of the managers themselves. The purpose of this research is to investigate the moderating role of managers' behavioral dimensions on the relationship between contingent factors and non-financial sustainability performance. Nine research hypotheses were tested and analyzed using the information of 142 firms admitted to the Tehran Stock Exchange during the period from 2013 to 2022 (including 1,420 firm-year observations) and using regression. The results indicated a positive and significant effect of firm size on non-financial sustainability performance and a negative and significant effect of environmental complexity and uncertainty on non-financial sustainability performance. No significant relationship was documented between board independence and non-financial sustainability performance. Management optimism strengthens the relationship between firm size and non-financial sustainability performance. In addition, management myopia changes and negates the relationship between board independence and non-financial sustainability performance. However, management optimism does not have a moderating role in the relationship between environmental complexity and uncertainty and the independence of the board of directors with non-financial sustainability performance. Finally, management myopia does not moderate the relationship between firm size, environmental complexity, and uncertainty with non-financial sustainability performance. Introduction The business environment for companies is increasingly uncertain and unstable due to many factors, not only financial but also non-financial. The application of contingency theory to sustainability reveals several factors that may influence performance and shape sustainability-oriented practices. In the field of corporate sustainability, this theory guides companies to prioritize sustainability as a dynamic capability to identify new opportunities and threats, leverage relevant opportunities, and adapt to market dynamics. Organizational strategic outcomes and processes are influenced by the managerial characteristics of senior managers. In particular, strategic choices are driven more by behavioral factors than by mechanical optimization. This theory emphasizes that the different characteristics of senior managers affect their strategic and structural decisions, which directly impact organizational performance. Based on this, the aim of the current research is to investigate the moderating role of managers' behavioral dimensions on the relationship between contingent factors and non-financial sustainability performance. Methodology According to its nature, this research is classified as applied, descriptive, and based on regression analysis. The necessary information for the research variables and hypothesis testing was gathered by referring to audited financial statements, independent audit reports, and financial database software such as Rahvard Navin and Tadbir Pardaz. The research data was then compiled in Excel, and used for statistical analysis with EViews software. In this research, the statistical population includes all the companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. Considering the conditions, a total of 142 companies (equivalent to 1,420 company-years) were selected, and their data was compiled using Excel software, then summarized, classified, and refined. Based on the objectives of the research, nine hypotheses were formulated as follows: First hypothesis: Firm size has a relationship with the company's non-financial sustainability performance. Second hypothesis: Environmental complexity and uncertainty are related to the company's non-financial sustainability performance. Third hypothesis: Board independence is related to the company's non-financial sustainability performance. Fourth hypothesis: Management optimism moderates the relationship between firm size and non-financial sustainability performance Fifth hypothesis: Management optimism moderates the relationship between environmental complexity and uncertainty with non-financial sustainability performance. Sixth hypothesis: Management optimism moderates the relationship between board independence and non-financial sustainability performance. Seventh hypothesis: Management myopia moderates the relationship between firm size and non-financial sustainability performance. Eighth hypothesis: Management myopia moderates the relationship between environmental complexity and uncertainty and non-financial sustainability performance. Ninth hypothesis: Management myopia moderates the relationship between board independence and non-financial sustainability performance. To test the above hypotheses, the following regression models are used: + (1) + (2) + (3) Conclusion The increasing pressure to meet sustainability requirements has encouraged companies to implement sustainability programs to monitor and evaluate their processes and the impact of their activities along the value chain. It appears that not only is there a difference of opinion about the definition of corporate sustainability, but there is also ambiguity regarding the implementation of corporate sustainability practices. As a result, a significant diversity in organizations and various approaches to corporate sustainability can be identified. In this context, to enhance the understanding of the implementation of sustainable practices, it is suggested to adopt contingency theory. The aim of the current research is to investigate the role of managers' behavioral dimensions on the relationship between contingent factors and non-financial sustainability performance. The results of the first hypothesis test showed that firm size has a positive and significant effect on non-financial sustainability performance. Since firm size affects the company's strategy, organizational goals, and competitive environment, non-financial performance is also influenced by these factors. Therefore, the larger the firm, the better its sustainability performance. This finding is in line with the findings of Mousanejad et al. (2021) and Yaghoubian et al. (2021). The test of the second hypothesis indicates a negative and significant impact of environmental complexity and uncertainty on non-financial sustainability performance. Non-financial sustainability performance, which encompasses diverse aspects of the company's activities such as employees, the role of shareholders, supplier contracts, internal processes, and service quality, is relevant to health indicators. The presence and increase of environmental uncertainty negatively affect the quality of these factors, meaning that environmental uncertainty and complexity reduce non-financial sustainability performance. This result is consistent with the findings of Yuliusman et al. (2023) and contradicts the findings of Yaghoubian et al. (2021). In the third hypothesis, no significant relationship between board independence and non-financial sustainability performance was documented. This finding can be explained by the fact that several factors, including the specific characteristics of companies, can affect the relationship between board independence and non-financial sustainability. Therefore, no significant relationship between these two variables was found in the companies studied. In the fourth hypothesis, the moderating role of management optimism, as one of the behavioral dimensions of managers, was investigated in the relationship between firm size and non-financial sustainability performance. The findings indicate a positive effect of management optimism on this relationship. In other words, management optimism strengthens the relationship between firm size and non-financial sustainability performance. The fifth and sixth hypotheses examined the moderating role of management optimism on the relationship between complexity, environmental uncertainty, and board independence with non-financial sustainability performance. The findings showed that management optimism does not moderate the relationship between environmental uncertainty, company complexity, and board independence with non-financial sustainability performance. The moderating role of management myopia on the relationship between contingency variables and non-financial sustainability performance was investigated in the seventh to ninth hypotheses. The findings indicate that management myopia does not moderate the relationship between firm size, complexity, and environmental uncertainty with non-financial sustainability performance. However, regarding the relationship between board independence and non-financial sustainability performance, management myopia, as a moderating variable, has changed the direction of the relationship, resulting in a negative effect of board independence on non-financial sustainability performance. In other words, management myopia leads to reduced attention to non-financial sustainability performance under conditions of greater managerial independence, thereby degrading this performance. رابطه بین عوامل اقتضایی و عملکرد پایداری غیرمالی؛ نقش در دنیای کنونی، مشخصات یک شرکت صرفاً در رابطه با مسائل مالی اثبات نمی‌شود، بلکه نیاز به گنجاندن دیدگاه-های زیست محیطی و اجتماعی پدید آمده است. بر این اساس سطح آگاهی از فعالیت‌های اجتماعی و زیست محیطی به سرعت در حال رشد بوده و این دیدگاه در سال‌های اخیر تحت عنوان عملکرد پایداری مورد توجه قرار گرفته است. مطابق با مفاهیم نظریه اقتضایی، اجرای رویکرد پایداری بسته به شرایط مختلف سازمان می‌تواند به طور قابل-توجهی متفاوت باشد. این نظریه پیامدهای زیادی در تصمیم‌گیری مدیریت در سازمانی به همراه داشته است، تصمیمات مدیریت خود متاثر از ویژگی‌های آنان است. هدف پژوهش حاضر بررسی نقش تعدیل‌کنندگی ابعاد رفتاری مدیران بر رابطه بین عوامل اقتضایی و عملکرد پایداری غیرمالی است. نه فرضیه پژوهش با استفاده از اطلاعات 142 شرکت پذیرفته شده در شرکت بورس اوراق بهادار تهران در دوره زمانی 1392 تا 1401 (شامل 1420 مشاهده شرکت ـ سال) و به‌کارگیری رگرسیون آزمون و تجزیه و تحلیل شدند. نتایج حاکی از تاثیر مثبت و معنادار اندازه شرکت بر عملکرد پایداری غیرمالی و تاثیر منفی و معنادار پیچیدگی و عدم اطمینان محیطی بر عملکرد پایداری غیرمالی بوده، بین استقلال هیئت مدیره و عملکرد پایداری غیرمالی رابطه معناداری مستند نشد. خوش‌بینی مدیریت رابطه بین اندازه شرکت و عملکرد پایداری غیرمالی را تقویت می‌کند، علاوه بر این، کوته‌بینی مدیریت جهت رابطه بین استقلال هیئت مدیره و عملکرد پایداری غیرمالی را تغییر داده و منفی می‌کند.

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