Supply Chain Alternative Thesis: A Strategic Analysis of COVID-19’s Impact on Small Business Operations and Supply Chain Processes with a Focus on SilverTree Dentistry

My journey through Arizona State University did not start with Supply Chain Management. I began as a Finance Major, but something did not resonate with me. I eventually switched my major to Supply Chain Management in my Junior year, after taking Professor Eddie Davila’s SCM 300 course. The hands-on nature of supply chain management, as well as the broad range of industries it covered, got me hooked. For my alternative thesis, I had to attend four seminars for WPC supply faculty, then write summaries on them. I would then choose one of the four to further extrapolate on and do independent research. However, after attending only two, the COVID-19 outbreak occurred, leading to the cancellation of the remaining seminars. As a result, I was faced with two choices; abandon the thesis project entirely, or work with what I had. With the approval of my director, I decided on the following outline. The first part of this paper will summarize and reflect on the two faculty lectures I was able to attend. The second part of the paper will look at the way COVID-19 has impacted the supply chain of a local business, SilverTree Dentistry. I will use information gathered from the dental office, supplier sites, and online sources as well as from the two faculty lectures to develop a cohesive plan of potential action for SilverTree to better equip themselves and their supply chain to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as how to respond as a small business in future times of crisis. This paper’s focus is on how small business supply chains are disrupted in their areas of supplier selection and supplier power, specifically how those areas affect the business’s spend.