Resilience and reconfiguration: leveraging IT-enabled absorptive capacity to enhance supply chain management in China’s tourism industry

Purpose This study aims to explore the impact of IT-enabled absorptive capacities on supply chain resilience (SCR) and reconfiguration (SCC) in the tourism industry, examining the mediating effects of SCR and the moderating effects of firm size. Design/methodology/approach Using a quantitative cross-sectional survey collected data from 139 midlevel and senior managers across China’s tourism sector. This study uses structural equation modeling via SmartPLS 4.0 to analyze the relationships among IT-enabled assimilation and transformation capacities, SCR and SCC. In addition, interaction terms were used to assess the moderating influence of firm size. Findings Results show that IT-enabled Assimilate Capability and Transform Capability significantly enhance SCR, positively affecting SCC, with SCR mediating these relationships. In contrast, IT-enabled Acquire Capability and Exploit Capability exhibit negligible mediation through SCR, and firm size does not moderate the SCR–SCC relationship. Originality/value This study provides a focused empirical examination of how distinct dimensions of IT-enabled absorptive capacity relate to SCR and SCC in a tourism-related context. It highlights the differentiated roles of these capabilities in shaping resilience and reconfiguration and offers exploratory evidence from China. It also examines firm size as a contextual moderator, while interpreting this effect cautiously in light of the sample and research setting.