Values influencing sustainable consumption behaviour: Exploring the contextual relationship ☆ Rajat Sharma a, ⁎, Mithileshwar Jha b a Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kashipur, Bazpur Road, Kashipur, Uttarakhand, India b Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore, India abstract article info Article history: Received 1 January 2016 Received in revised form 13 March 2017 Accepted 14 March 2017 Available online xxxx The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a theoretical model that explains that the influence of personal values on sustainable consumption behaviour is moderated by the cultural and consumption context in which the relationship is studied. Data is collected using survey questionnaires, conducted both online and offline, with diverse set of population and total 526 responses are used for assessing validity and reliability by applying PLS based structural equation modelling. The paper identifies fresh set of value dimensions that drive sustainable consumption practices. It is further seen that attitude is more likely to moderate the relationship for internally oriented values than externally oriented values. Thus, the paper significantly extends the previous research on the relationship between values and sustainable consumption behaviour. The findings of this paper have signif- icant contributions for practitioners who wish to sell sustainable products in different cultural contexts. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Values Sustainable consumption behaviour Attitude Perceived Consumer Effectiveness Internally oriented values Externally oriented values 1. Introduction Some researchers view sustainable consumption behaviour as an act of voluntary simplicity or anti-consumption (Shaw & Moraes, 2009; Black, 2010) whereas others define it as the adoption of green lifestyle practices (e.g. Gilg, Barr, & Ford, 2005). Diverse views and explanations make sustainable consumption behaviour a complex phenomenon to explain and predict. Some marketers and policy makers have stressed the need to understand social and institutional actions that may encour- age the progress of environment-friendly behaviour among consumers (Vlek & Steg, 2007; Phipps, Ozanne, Weaver, et al., 2013). Others have proposed an exploration of the role of personal values in influencing sustainable behaviours (Thøgersen & Ölander, 2002; Grunert & Juhl, 1995; Sener and Hazer, 2008). The important question, therefore, is whether consumers adopt sustainable consumption behaviour due to intrinsic motivation or because of social desirability or both? The extant literature is ambiguous in answering this question. This paper explores the variations in the influence of different kinds of values on different categories of sustainable consumption behaviour. According to Zukin and Maguire (2004), consumption is a social, cultural and economic process of choosing goods. It enables individuals to form and express their identity. Holbrook and Hirschman (1982) conducted a study to show that the experiential processes that focus on the symbolic, hedonic and aesthetic nature of buying behaviour are important components of consumption. Consumption decisions are therefore likely to be influenced by specific values and beliefs of individ- uals. Every culture has some unique beliefs, values and practices, resulting in varied consumption behaviours. This study conducted in India is specifically of interest because tradi- tional and religious beliefs in India have recognized the importance of the relationship between man and nature and have advocated people's responsibility towards nature and society (Kala & Sharma, 2010). Ac- cording to the Advaita philosophy the same ‘atman’ (soul) is present in- side everyone, including nature (Ranganathananda, 1995, p. 83). A better understanding of Indian philosophy may lead to a solution for the current ecological problems of the world. In this study, we have employed a framework called the Holistic Values Survey (HVS) (Sharma, 2015), an extension of Schwartz's values. Although most researchers refer to the Schwartz Values Scale (SVS) (1994) in diverse contexts in cross-cultural value studies (Smith & Journal of Business Research 76 (2017) 77–88 ☆ We are thankful to Prof. Dwarika Prasad Uniyal and Prof. Rajesh Chandwani for providing constructive comments that helped us improving the paper. ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: rajat.sharma@iimkashipur.ac.in (R. Sharma), mithileshwar@gmail.com (M. Jha). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.03.010 0148-2963/© 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Business Research