In this study, we conceptualize the thus far little explored relationship between expatriate and host country as a form of social exchange governed by the norm of reciprocity. Drawing from social exchange theory and our analysis of 451 self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) living and working in the United Arab Emirates, we examine whether the degree of SIEs’ career and community embeddedness explains their host country withdrawal intention via enhanced perceived institutional trust and a more tolerant attitude toward workplace discrimination. Our results provide general support for our theoretical model and most of our hypotheses. In this way, our article makes three contributions. First, it suggests a novel way to conceptualize the relationship between SIEs and host country as a form of social exchange. Second, it differentiates between two dimensions of embeddedness and explicates how the two contribute to SIEs’ intentions to stay in the host country. Finally, the analysis theorizes and empirically tests two previously little explored mechanisms of enhanced institutional trust and a more tolerant attitude toward workplace discrimination through which SIEs’ host country embeddedness influences their host country withdrawal intentions.

Drawing from social exchange theory, this study proposes the effects of perceived leader narcissism on employees' voice behaviors (promotive voice and prohibitive voice) via organizational justice depending on the conditions of employees' trust in leader. Through investigating 257 employees and conducting a scenario study in China, this research shows that perceived leader narcissism is negatively related to prohibitive voice. The relationships between perceived leader narcissism and voice behaviors are moderated by trust in leader, and perceived leader narcissism is positively related to employees' voice behaviors when trust in leader is low. Results also show that organizational justice mediates the relationships between perceived leader narcissism and voice behaviors. The indirect effect of perceived leader narcissism on voice behaviors via organizational justice is moderated by trust in leader. This study has important implications for explaining the relationships between perceived leader narcissism and employees' voice behaviors and contributes to the social exchange theory by illustrating trust in the partner in exchange relationship as a boundary condition of norm reciprocity violation.

This study constructs the relationship between work stressors and the desire for organizational construction and the moderating role of leader–member exchange. The study is conducted by integrating social exchange and uncertainty management theory. Through investigating 204 employees and performing a scenario study in China, this research confirms that challenge stressors are positively related to desire for organizational construction. The relationship between hindrance stressors and desire for organizational construction tends to be U-shaped in the condition of high leader–member exchange, and the relationship tends to have an inverted U-shape in the condition of low leader–member exchange. This study has important implications for discerning the scope of application for both social exchange and uncertainty management theory, as managers seek to explain the relationship between negative treatment of employees and their desire for organizational construction.

Based on social exchange theory, we propose and test the mediating role of formal and informal contracts in linking cooperation characteristics of prior ties and shared values among partners to cooperation success in the public—private partnership context. Results from a survey of 244 partners in public—private partnerships in the medical and healthcare fields in China revealed that both formal and informal contracts mediate the relationship between cooperation characteristics and cooperation success. We discuss the theoretical and managerial implications for public-private partnership research and practice with a specific focus on the Chinese context.

The paper used a social exchange lens to explore the impact of the quality of the relationship between supervisors and service employees on individual and organisational outcomes. The findings provide further evidence that the quality of the relationship between supervisors and service employees is a significant factor - in this case explaining almost half of the reasons as to why employees accepted or rejected organisational changes. Using the social exchange lens, the theory argues that the same characteristics evident in high quality leader–member exchange (LMX) relationships (effective levels of information, feedback and respect) are also likely to provide the ideal conditions for employees' to address their fears and answer their questions about potential organisational changes. As a result, service employees are more likely to accept the organisational changes. In addition, this study suggests that approximately half of job productivity and satisfaction is affected by the way LMX firstly affects employees' satisfaction with organisational communication processes, and secondly, their acceptance of organisational changes within SMEs.

This study presents and tests a framework that links leader—member exchange (LMX) with two different forms of employee–organization exchange: organizational social exchange and organizational economic exchange. We propose that these two forms of employee exchange with the organization would be the main mechanisms through which LMX affects employees’ affective commitment and intention to leave. We used structural equation modelling to analyze the data collected from 239 employees in a foreign-invested enterprise in China. Results showed that both organizational social exchange and organizational economic exchange acted as full mediators in the relationships between LMX and the two outcome variables but in different directions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Drawing on social exchange theory, we explore the reciprocal relationship between the perception of being offered family-oriented benefits (childcare information services and childcare vouchers) and parent–employees' engagement in organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). We examine the moderating role of both general and family-oriented social support from coworkers, an often cited, but less frequently studied aspect of parent–employees' work experiences. Based on survey data from parent–employees and their supervisors in the United States, we find that the strength of the relationship between the benefits and OCBs varies when coworker support is high versus low and that the direction of the relationship varies according to the type of coworker support. Specifically, when childcare vouchers are offered, OCBs are related to general support, whereas when childcare information is offered, OCBs are related to family-oriented support.