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The Structural Engineers Ltd.

Group Name: Vision Quest

Group Members:

Jamila Jalali (16303011)

Muhtasima Yasmin (16301218)

Adnan Rasad Kazi (16101271)

Simi Mollick (15336002)

Sadman Kabir Mohammed (14110017)

Submitted To: Humaira Naznin

Date of Submission: 24.07.16

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS PAGE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................3

INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................4

VISION, MISSION, PHILOSOPHY ...............................................................................................5

OPERATIONAL ACTIVITY & LOGISTICS ............................................................................ 6-7

CONSTRUCTION OF PROJECTS ............................................................................................ 8-9

CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY ...................................................................................... 10-14

TARGET MARKET ................................................................................................................ 14-15

COMMUNICATION MODEL IN SEL ........................................................................................16

ADVERTISEMENT STRATEGY .......................................................................................... 17-20

PRICING STRATEGY ..................................................................................................................20

SUGGESTION ..............................................................................................................................21

REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………………….22

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Executive Summary

This is Structural Engineering Limited (SEL) founded in 1994 in order to “Developing planned

habitat for future generations.”

This Company is a real estate company which has a view to alleviating the living

accommodation problem of the mega city Dhaka as well as in the whole country.

SEL’s target customer is upper-class, upper middle-class and middle class people.

This company do various types of pricing of their flats. It depends on location, size and

customers interest.

According to Real Estate & Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) there are 1151 real estate

companies. This company is competing with 1150 companies. They are in a good position in the

market because they are serving their customers with quality. Moreover, they are using the latest

technology in construction and modern design in their buildings.

SEL is a Sole Proprietorship engineering farm. It has one management committee alongside with

six major departments. Management committee consists of four members. Engr. Md. Abdul

Awal is the Managing Director of SEL.

Though SEL is trying to serve with possible beat quality but there is a scope for improving. They

can improve themselves by giving more training to their employees, expanding target market and

improving their newspaper and billboard advertisements style.

Date: 24-07-2016

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Introduction

Structural Engineers Limited (SEL) has been in the construction arena for the last 22 years,

initially serving various sectors of the Government including the sectors of health, food, power,

disaster management etc. and gradually moving on to the sector of real estate.

With a view to alleviating the living accommodation problem of the mega city

Dhaka, SEL stepped in the real estate development scene in 1994. During the span of the last 15

years SEL has completed and handed over more than 130 apartment and commercial projects in

Dhaka, establishing itself as an embodiment of quality, competence and efficiency. We believe

that Quality is not a concern solely of the top management or the quality control department

rather it should be the concern of every single member of the workforce, starting from the CEO

right down to the bottom rung of the ladder. Besides, based on the philosophy Quality comes

first, Profit is its logical sequence, SEL is maintaining Quality at all stages of development by

involving the total workforce. With the dedicated contributions of a full-time workforce

including architects, design engineers, skilled & experienced project personnel and not to

mention state-of-the-art in-house architectural & structural design facilities, SEL has been able to

achieve enviable success within a very short time.

That's why SEL can guarantee that in every aspect of business Sea Pines Real Estate. Their

taglines are:

Always the Best

Always Professional

Always Ethical

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Vision

“Developing planned habitat for future generations”.

They believe it will be achieve by:

Having the most engaged and empowered workforce

Attaining the highest degree of customer trust

Incessant innovation

Championing GREEN developments

Mission:

“Creating environment friendly dwellings for ultimate satisfaction of customers.”

Philosophy

SEL is the most innovative provider of real estate services in Bangladesh. Their deep

commitment to community, their reputation of integrity and trust, their visionary culture makes

them the real estate company of choice.

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Operational Activity and Logistics

SEL has one management committee. This committee includes four members. They are:

1. Engr. Md. Abdul Awal, Managing Director

2. Engr. A.H.M Zahirul Haque, Deputy Managing Director

3. Engr. A.K.M Abdullah, Director.

4. Arch. A.K.M Abdur Rahman, Director.

SEL also has different section in their organization. From the MD to a clerical post they follow

the pyramid system. Mainly, their operational activity is divided into following parts.

Architect

Construction

Accounts

Sales

Customer Relationship

HR

Architect: This department do design related works such as making a design of a building,

interior designing, changing the design in need of customer.

Construction: This is one of the important sector of this company. They handle the main output

part construction a building and related logistics works. This department consists of civil

engineers and site inspectors. This department also dealt with buying or choosing a new site for

new building projects.

Accounts: They handle the all income, purchase, expense related works.

Sales: Their work is to promote and sell flats. This is also divided into two parts -Indoor sales

and outdoor sales.

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Customer Relationship and management: This department create and maintain connection

between new and old customers. Sometimes they also provide discounts and special offers to

their loyal customers. A lot of projects are actually done in contact basis with the land owner.

Those contacts are like SEL will make a building in land owner’s site. The owner will get a

percentage of total flat numbers (such as 50%) and SEL will get the ownership of the land and

keep the rest of the flats. This part is also handled by customer relationship and management.

HR: They do recruitments, hiring consultation, screening, paying wages.

Logistics

In SEL logistics is basically handled by construction department. They buy steels, cements,

necessary materials, hiring local labors, transportation etc.

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Construction Process of a project

SEL works in various types of project. The construction type of each building is different from

each other. Though every construction is different but it follows some basic rules. The process

can be divided into ten sections:

1. Prepare site and pour foundation: In SEL site preparation and foundation work are

done by the same crew. The crews of the site and engineers takes all the preparations

regarding foundation work. If the house has a basement or a well or any kind of

construction related beneath the ground floor are done in this phase - After digging the

structural part the crew applies concrete and water proofing membrane on the wall of the

holes and trenches.

2. Complete rough framing: After completing the floor system walls and roofs, Plywood

or OSB sheathing is applied to the exterior walls and roof, and windows and exterior

doors are installed. The sheathing is sometimes protected with house wrap which

prevents any kind of liquid from infiltrating the structure while allowing water vapor to

escape.

3. Complete rough plumbing, electrical and HVAC: After the shell is done siding and

roofing can be installed and at the same time the electrical and plumbing contractors start

running pipes and wires through the interior walls, ceilings and floors. Sewer lines and

vents, as well as water supply liner for each fixture, are installed. After the roofing goes

on, the house is considered “dried in” The electrician then installs receptacles for outlets,

lights and switches and runs wires from the breaker panel to each receptacle. Note that

HVAC ducts and plumbing are usually installed before wiring, because it’s easier to run

wires around pipes and ducts than vice versa.

4. Install insulation: Insulation plays a key role in creating a more comfortable, consistent

indoor climate while significantly improving a home’s energy efficiency. One of the most

important qualities of insulation is its thermal performance or R-value, which indicates

how well the material resists heat transfer. The most common types of insulation used in

new homes are fiberglass, cellulose and foam.

5. Complete drywall and interior textures, start exterior finishes: Drywall is hung and

taped so the seams between the boards aren’t visible, and drywall texturing is completed.

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The primer coat of paint is also applied after taping is complete. Contractors begin

installing exterior finishes such as brick, stucco, stone and siding.

6. Finish interior trim; install exterior driveways and walkways: Interior doors,

baseboards, door casings, window sills, moldings, stair balusters and other decorative

trim are installed, along with cabinets, vanities and fireplace mantels and surrounds.

Walls get a finish coat of paint and are wallpapered where applicable. Generally, exterior

driveways, walkways and patios are formed at this stage.

7. Install hard-surface flooring and countertops; complete exterior grading: Ceramic

tile, vinyl and wood flooring are installed as well as countertops. Exterior finish grading

is completed to ensure proper drainage away from the home and prepare the yard for

landscaping.

8. Finish mechanical trims; install bathroom fixtures: Light fixtures, outlets and

switches are installed and the electrical panel is completed. HVAC equipment is installed

and registers completed. Sinks, toilets and faucets are put in place.

9. Install mirrors, shower doors and finish flooring; finish exterior landscaping:

Mirrors, shower doors and carpeting are installed, and final cleanup takes place. Trees,

shrubs and grass are planted and other exterior landscaping completed.

10. Final walkthrough: After finishing the work SEL walk their customer through their new

home to acquaint them with its features and the operation of various systems and

components, and explain their responsibilities for maintenance and upkeep as well as

warranty coverage and procedures. This is often referred to as a pre-settlement

walkthrough. It’s also an opportunity to spot items that need to be corrected or adjusted,

so be attentive and observant.

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CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

Buildings are built from long ago in history but the difference is of technology as early buildings

were simple and just for the purpose of shelter. In the beginning, buildings were made from

stones and mud, but in recent time, we construct buildings using multiple types of materials

including stone, timber, concrete, metals, glass, etc. SEL uses modern technology in their

construction building .some systems are given below.

Role of technology in building designs:

With the passage of time, construction industry has passed through advancements. One of them

is emphasis on designing buildings before practically constructing these buildings. SEL has

introduced successful techniques to develop strong and long lasting buildings. Development in

the field of IT has become the main source for latest designing approach in construction

technologies. It has introduced Building Information Modeling (BIM) is one of such

computerized systems that facilitate for collecting information about buildings under

construction on regular basis. This system greatly enhances the communication among engineers

and designers that are working on the project. Computer aided designing helps in designing

flawless buildings as through computer simulations problems can be found and resolved before

constructing buildings physically.

Innovations in Construction Technology:

SEL has used latest machinery through the civil engineering. Most of the building parts such as

pillars, roofs, and concrete blocks are available in prepared forms that increase the speed of

construction process greatly. Use of pre-stressed concrete tendons and beams strengthen the

buildings along with speedy construction.

Green Construction:

While constructing buildings, natural environment should not be spoiled and materials used for

building must be eco-friendly. They used an eco-friendly construction system that follows the

regulations, which are created to save the environment of our planet.

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Styrofoam Panels:

This technology is being practiced for mainstream for the last decade. This technology provides

good resistance to thermal convection that helps in creation of heat controlled homes. Styrofoam

panels are actually EPS foam that is sealed between steel sheets for strength and this foam works

as thermal resistor. It not only has heat resistance but also has capacity to endure the wind speed

up to 140 mph. This makes it favorable in the areas targeted by hurricane. As it laminates the

foam in steel sheets that make it safer from termites, as they can’t invade steel sheets. The

durability and strength of Styrofoam make buildings long lasting and cleaner than buildings

constructed with other materials. Use of new technology in construction endows with

comfortable buildings for housing and business.

Unbounded PT Slabs:

SEL uses Unbonded PT slabs in construction. These are affordable for constructing modern

buildings and are also considered reliable for their quality and strength. Their steel strands are

greased well to resist rusting that increase their age. The unbonded PT slabs are light weight and

flexible due to small thickness of its unbonded tendon. Due to this reason, unbonded PT slab

patterns are able to make best use of complete strength of a concrete slab. These are successfully

used at different places such as on roofs, pavements, and even in the round water tanks. One

thing must be kept in mind while purchasing them that never compromise on their quality.

Soil Investigation:

It is mandatory to study the properties of the soil before designing foundations, SEL engineers

will ask for a soil investigation to be done. A soil investigation engineer will drill a 4" or 6"

hollow pipe into the ground, and will remove samples of the earth while doing so. He will then

send these samples to a lab to find out the detailed properties of the soil at every depth. Soil is

usually composed of strata, or different layers, each with its own set of properties. Drilling

technology today makes it easy and economical to drill to great depths, easily several hundred

meters or more, even in hard rock.

This frame becomes very strong, and must resist the various loads that act on a building during

its life.

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These loads include:

Dead Loads: the downwards force on the building coming from the weight of the

building itself, including the structural elements, walls, facades, and the like.

Live Loads: the downwards force on the building coming from the expected weight of

the occupants and their possessions, including furniture, books, and so on. Normally

these loads are specified in building codes and structural engineers must design buildings

to carry these or greater loads. These loads will vary with the use of the space, for

example, whether it is residential, office, industrial to name a few. It is common for codes

to require live loads for residential to be a minimum of about 200 kg/m2, offices to be

250 kg/m2, and industrial to be 1000 kg/m2, which is the same as 1T/m2. These live

loads are sometimes called imposed loads.

Dynamic Loads: these occur commonly in bridges and similar infrastructure, and are the

loads created by traffic, including braking and accelerating loads.

Wind Loads: This is a very important design factor, especially for tall buildings, or

buildings with large surface area. Buildings are designed not to resist the everyday wind

conditions, but extreme conditions that may occur once every 100 years or so. These are

called design windspeeds, and are specified in building codes. A building can commonly

be required to resist a wind force of 150 kg/m2, which can be a very significant force

when multiplied by the surface area of the building.

Earthquake Loads: in an earthquake, the ground vigorously shakes the building both

horizontally and vertically, rather like a bucking horse shakes a rider in the sport of

rodeo. This can cause the building to fall apart. The heavier the building, the greater the

force on it. It’s important to note that both wind and earthquake impose horizontal

forces on the building, unlike the gravity forces it normally resists, which are vertical in

direction.

Fire Alarm System: A fire alarm system is distinct from a firefighting system in that it

has no connection to the firefighting system; its purpose is to inform all humans in the

building that there is a fire via an audible alarm, so that they may evacuate the

building. To phrase this differently, the firefighting system is not switched on by the fire

alarm system; the two are independent. It is mandatory for every building other than

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small residences to have a firefighting system. A fire alarm system consists of fire

sensors, such as smoke and heat detectors, located throughout the building, connected to

a main alarm panel by special cables. The panel is in turn connected to a set of hooters or

speakers that give an audible alarm throughout the building and its surrounding areas.

FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEMS

A firefighting system is probably the most important of the building services, as its aim is to

protect human life and property, strictly in that order.

It consists of three basic parts:

a large store of water in tanks, either underground or on top of the building, called fire

storage tanks

a specialized pumping system,

a large network of pipes ending in either hydrants or sprinklers (nearly all buildings

require both of these systems)

A fire hydrant is a vertical steel pipe with an outlet, close to which two fire hoses are

stored. During a fire, firefighters will go to the outlet, break open the hoses, attach one to the

outlet, and manually open it so that water rushes out of the nozzle of the hose.

Using HVAC Systems:

A HVAC system is a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system. A system that does

anyone (or more) of those tasks is called a HVAC system.

The objective of an HVAC system is to ensure that an indoor environment is both safe and

comfortable for humans. Safety here mainly concerns the Indoor Air Quality, meaning that the

indoor air should have enough oxygen and be free of noxious gases. Comfort of course is based

on human perception, which can vary within bounds. Now-a-days there are some other things

that SEL is using. For example-

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Cool Roofs

Green Insulation and Solar Power

Rammed Earth Brick

Geothermal Heating

Target Market

Being a real estate company SEL has narrowed down its target market. They are targeting customers

based on these following categories:

Demographics – Where do customers live? How much do they make? How old are they?

Their gender? Their ethnicity? Their education?

Geography – Where do they live? Why do they live there? What type of lifestyle do they

have in their geographical area?

Lifestyle – What do they do for a living? What motivates them? What types of interests

and hobbies do they have? What type of car do they drive? Where do they go on holidays

or vacations?

Life Cycle – Where are they in their life cycle? Are they single, just married, expecting

their first child, divorcees, empty nesters, retirees?

Motives – What motivates them to buy? Are they emotional or rational buyers? What do

they care about – the economy, investing, security, stability, the American dream?

Lifetime Value – Are they a one-time buyer or are they likely to need your services on

an ongoing basis? How much will it cost to acquire them?

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Basically the target market of SEL is middle class and upper middle class society. For upper

middle class family flats are little bit more expensive and in areas like Dhanmondi, Gulshan,

Baridhara, Banani etc.

For middle class family apartments come in a little smaller in size with a low price and in less

expensive areas like green road, old town etc.

For middle class family the main purpose is to give the apartments for rent as it is hard for them

to buy an apartment. Though some middle class families do buy apartments but it is very hardly

and targeting could be risky for business. With the growing population of Dhaka as people are

coming to Dhaka from all over the country apartments are very easily given for rent. But still it

needs some very good advertising.

For upper middle family the target is to sell the apartments as the upper middle class family is

most likely to buy them and pay the cash in a very short time. Upper middle families are not that

rich but they are rich enough to buy apartments of around 2000sft to 3000 sft that can easily

provide.

Another market segment that they will be focusing on is newly married couples who are looking

for new apartments. As they are at the beginning of their new life, they are looking for a place

near a school so they do not have to worry about their children. Most of the people who come

from outside of Dhaka to this city of ours, they basically come because of a good education of

their children. So they target the areas near schools as they provide a better sale.

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Communication model in SEL

A normal communication model is based on a sender, receiver, message and feedback.

In this case, the initial sender is SEL, their message is their advertisement theme which will later

be discussed, initial receiver is the target market or the customers and the feedback is the sales or

their company revenue.

Any kind of advertisement campaign can be judged using this communication model. Especially

the feedback part of it as they show the result and outcome of the advertisement and the

efficiency of it.

Depending on this feedback, the company might change their advertisement theme. But if the

feedback is highly positive and the result in profit reaches the company target then they will not

have to change their strategy, at least for a few years depending on the situation.

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Advertisement Strategy

The advertisement strategy of SEL can be divided into two basic parts, we will discuss each part

individually and also show how they are using it as an advertisement strategy.

i. Verbal Communication.

ii. Non-Verbal Communication.

Verbal Communication:

For verbal communication SEL uses their sales agents, previous customers, billboards,

newspapers, internet etc.

Sales agents:

SEL have some sales agent who locates profitable customers. These sales cost them a little bit

but eventually they bring a lot of customers with a lot of money to spend in their company. To

keep regular connection with the customers the way of their sales agents approaches,

What is your preferred method of contact?”

(Do they prefer phone or email?)

“How often would you like me to contact you, keeping in mind I will always contact you

immediately with any pertinent updates or issues as they arise?”

(Would they like to hear from you daily, every-other-day, weekly?)

Customers:

If SEL can maintain a good reputation in the eyes of the customers then their present customers

will speak well about their company to other customers, which bring them new customers. So if

they can maintain a good relationship with customers then they will help us expand the business

to their expected level. But it might work the opposite way as if the customers are not satisfied

then they may speak negative of SEL and make them to lose their business.

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Billboards:

Right now SEL has more than 20 billboards in Dhaka city for advertising saying the same thing,

which is, “Quality comes first, Profit is its logical sequence".

This is basically done to attract attention of everyone who passes the VIP roads of Dhaka city

everyday and make people aware of their main slogan.

Newspapers:

SEL is advertising through newspapers like THE PROTHOM ALO, THE JONOKONTHO, and

THE KALER KONTHO etc.

Internet:

SEL has their official web site which is “http://www.sel.com.bd. They are using this to provide

online help to the customers and providing them services 24 hours and seven times a week.

Words of mouth:

SEL's most successful promotion usually come in the form of word of mouth. Since customer

will own real estate, it will be highly visible to the public. Since SEL’s complexes will be in the

upper echelon of quality and livability, word will spread through the community about their

unique appeal.

Complain Department:

Recently SEL has opened a complain department so the company can listen to their customers

complains everyday and change their company's performance according to their customer's

demands.

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Non-Verbal Communication:

Marketing in a highly competitive housing industry depends on the recognition of excellence, as

well as a point of difference to display our units in an individualized light. MSN will build a

reputation upon these components.

SEL has developed and providing a living environment of unmatched proportion. It starts with

the commitment to customer satisfaction and fulfilling their demands. Their commitment to

quality and comfort includes safety and 24-hour customer service. The aspect of SEL’s living

developments that differentiate MSN from all other real estate companies. Their focus is on

maintaining the most advanced technological innovations on the market.

Financing Events & Charity:

SEL is trying to attract more customers by financing events like concerts, stage shows etc. they

also doing charities in significant amount. This way they are not directly advertising their

company but indirectly them telling everyone of the existence of their company.

Property staging and presentation:

First impressions and presenting your property as customers dream home or dream investment is

the key to getting your property sold. SEL’s target is to create the desire to buy and the

emotional bond between property and buyer.

To renovate or not?"

Many people have opinions about whether or not to renovate before selling. In our country

buyers prefer un-renovated properties.

One of the reasons is that most buyers feel they will get the property cheaper if it’s un-renovated.

They fall in love with it and want to make it their own. And the truth is, with so many people

clamoring for these properties, this creates competition, driving the prices up. This is why these

properties sell for a mint. However, there are cases where the company must renovate to

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maximize its sales price. If a property is north-facing with water views, those qualities are strong

selling points in themselves gives SEL highest reasonable selling price.

Pricing Strategy

Going Low

SEL try to be as much liberal in case of pricing. Most of the time those flats that are positioning

backward and top floor flats are sold in a cheaper price than others.

Picking a Round Number

SEL always pick a round number for its property price. For instance, if one flat is 1500 sq. ft. they keep

per sq. ft. 6000 Taka so that the total price comes to 9,000,000 Taka.

Offer Incentives

SEL offer incentives to their customers. Such as if you pay 50% of your total payment as a down payment

you will get 10% discount. They also give discounts to their regular customers in a daily basis.

Quality:

SEL believes that the quality of the apartments is one of their basic and most important way of

communication as their main focus is always on customer satisfaction which totally depends on

the quality of their apartment.

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Suggestion

Training Employees:

SEL may train their employees on a regular basis in order to improve their performance. In case

of hiring local sales agents they have to train them so that they can give proper customer oriented

service.

Expanding Target Market:

We believe SEL have to modify their target markets. Now, it is required for the society to make

sustainable and attainable less expensive homes for the lower class of people.

Improving the newspaper advertisements:

Don’t make your ads look like an ad. Don’t use line art. Don’t use arrows, cute graphics, reverse

type (except maybe to highlight a phone number), weird typestyles. Also try using magazine ads

too.

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References

Home. (n.d.). Retrieved July 23, 2016, from http://www.sel.com.bd/

Partho,Borua.Interview by Kabir. Personal interview. Dhaka, July 22, 2016.