Social Exchange Theory

Social exchange theory (SET) views individuals as actors who invest in relationships with the expectation of gaining benefits in return for the costs they endure. According to SET, people’s behavior is often influenced by the rewarding actions of others. SET is a social science theory that takes into account the social aspect of exchanges as well as their economic aspect, and it benefits from scientific fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, and tourism. Since the 1990s, SET has been applied in tourism research to explain residents’ attitudes and behaviors toward tourism. It has become an essential framework for understanding interactions between local residents and tourists during the tourism development process in various destinations. Research indicates that SET is also utilized to analyze employee behavior in the hospitality industry and to explore employee–organization relationships through different perspectives. SET continues to provide valuable insights for future research, as it aids in understanding relationships across different cultures and environments. Additionally, the use of robots in service delivery today will introduce new perspectives on SET, and future studies will need to explore these perspectives.