How would you conduct a SWOT analysis for a company/corporation called GameStop?

Question:

GameStop is a video game and entertainment software company, or corporation, which has thousands of self-named stores across the U.S.; and is headquartered in Grapevine, Texas. This is the same company which have recently merged with EBGames (formerly known as Electronics Boutique), another video game company with self-named stores across this country.
If you are taking or have taken advertising (or any business-related course in college) and are doing or have done a project called an "advertising plan", a SWOT analysis is defined as follows:

(1) it briefly restates a company's current situation; reviews the target market segments; itemizes the long- and short-term marketing objectives; and cites decisions regarding market positioning and the marketing mix.
(2)according to the advertising manager, it determines what strenghts and opportunities can be leveraged, and what weaknesses and threats need to be addresseed.

Answer:
I would start with how are they going to handle it when u can download all games via the internet.

NO MORE USED GAMES.

Download a 10-K from The Securities and Exchange commission on that company. It contains pretty much the same stuff.

Here is step by step what I recommend you to do:

1. Surf the web and find which are their main competitors (including not specialized stores like Virgin, FYE, Blockbuster, etc). The more the merrier.

2. Take each one of the competitors and make a list of their characteristics (how they sell, rent; their price polices; their store image; product availability; additional products (magazines for example). In this case also, the more the merrier. Try to make this as bullets (not long text).

3. Put together all the lists of characteristics you made of each one of the competitors (as one big list). Some of them will be duplicated: don't duplicate them, keep one and erase the rest.

4. Take an Excel sheet and on the "columns" put EBGames and all their competitors (1 column for each company).

5. On the "lines" put all the characteristics you found on step 3.

6. Start "checking" which company has which characteristics.

7. Once you do that, follow these simple rules:
a. Strength: Any characteristic you have and nobody else has
b. Weakness: Any characteristic you don't have and at least one of your competitors have

8. Opportunities: Any characteristic nobody has, but the consumer values (your list will not give you this, so you will have to make a Market Research or be creative and think of something that nobody else has but would add value to the brand).

9. Trends: For this you have to monitor the news and watch out what’s happening so you can complement your list. Last year was Xbox launch, this year is Nintendo and Playstation; also find out about Senate regulations they are trying to impose. CNet News is a great place to start because it has a "web like" link that lets you see all related subject.

9. Put everything together in a colored table and a nice presentation, and you are ready to go (and present your project).

How would you conduct a SWOT analysis for a company/corporation called GameStop?

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