The success of a team creates the possibilities for production and launching the products meeting the quality requirements, expected by the Customers for obtaining success.

Name: PLASKE Joint Stock Company. PLASKE JSC
Departments/Personnel: 9 services / 130 people
Premises: in Odessa – 3, in Kyiv – 2, In Sevastopol – 1.
The representatives are active in 5 world states.
Web: www.plaske.com

PLASKE Joint Stock Company was founded in 5 November 1998 as the freight forwarding company providing door-to-door deliveries. In 1999 it gradually introduced two service-lines for meeting the needs of the customers:
1. Travel agency that arranges trips and passenger transport.
2. Information & Consulting Agency for vocational training of personnel.
In 2007 new business direction emerged – Trade & Commerce Agency to expand commercial activity.

At the moment PLASKE JSC defines the following production processes:

1. Intermediary services in trade and commerce that cover: Intermediary in wholesale trade; Consignors', consignees' and cargo owners' consultations on execution of contracts and transport documents in accordance with national and international legal requirements; staff recruitment, retail sales of printing materials; services of brokers, intermediaries, promoters, literary agents, etc.; tickets distribution, printing services, purchasing of office facilities and stationery, marketing analysis, promotions, and insurance.
2. The Freight Forwarding Agency deals with freight forwarding and “door-to-door” delivery following the general concept of PLASKE JSC "Just in time". Freight forwarding services carried out by PLASKE JSC include: consignors’, consignees’ and cargo owners’ consultation on execution of contracts and transport documents in accordance with legal requirements; suggesting a suitable logistic scheme; arrangement of transportation; calculation and payment of tariffs and charges; making out economic and technology-based routes and cargo delivery schemes; preparation and cargo delivery by all types of transport and customs clearance; coordination of all parties involved in cargo delivery process; transportation arrangement of separately travelling cargo and luggage; cargo and rolling-stock information during the transportation process; 24-hour tracing; representation of the client interests when cargo receiving or delivering; provision of cargo protection and insurance services.
3. The Transport & Travel Agency offers the following high-quality services: booking and selling of air tickets; rail tickets selling; selling of bus tickets; business trips arrangement; working out the optimal route of trip; hotel services reservation; sightseeing; organization of conferences, seminars and presentations including accommodation of participants; consultation on visa support; transfer arrangement; complex insurance services and also car rental booking.
4. The Information and Consulting Agency delivers Vocational Training for International Freight Forwarders (FIATA Diploma); Trainings and Seminars on Logistics; Basic Course on Air Freight Transport; IATA/FIATA Cargo Introductory Course; IATA/FIATA Dangerous Goods Regulations Course; IATA Live Animals Regulations Course; IATA Shipping Perishable Cargo Course; Consignors', consignees' and cargo owners' consultation on execution of contracts and accompanying documentation; vocational training for customs brokers and declarants ("Customs registration of energy carriers" Special Course); Quality Systems Management Vocational Training; vocational training for travel agents; Amadeus Basic Course; Amadeus Second Course; Amadeus Cars & Hotels; Central Ticketing; translation services; legal counseling; publishing of manuals, business and fiction books as well as periodicals: TRANSPORT Journal, Capital Express Journal, Odessa Almanac and Odessa Calendar.

Organization’s activity is aimed at constant meeting Customers’ demands and providing the opportunities to create conditions contributing to Customers’ and Stakeholders’ success. Its business activity has different directions but each direction is based on the consolidated platform, which brings high quality and comprehensive services. It is in this regard that Customer satisfaction and provision of the high-quality services has now come into a very sharp focus. Great responsibility devolves on Organization as regards to the implementation of reliability and sustainability measures.
Thus in 2004 the Management System was decided to be introduced for more efficient business. The System is based on international standard ISO 9001.
Organization is responsible for the impacts of its decisions and activities on the environment and its people, thus We decided to comply with the following standards in our daily practice: ISO 14001 (Environmental Management), OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management), SA 8000 (Social Accountability).
During the implementation of business ideas the Top Management decided to introduce the “social responsibility” term. The first push to use it was given after the signing the UN Global Compact in 2007 which covers ten principles of Social responsibility. Social responsibility means taking obligations on compliance with the requirements of the legislation in force, contribution to economic development, sustainable resource usage, protection of the environment, protection of human rights and labor relations, and anti-corruption. These principles are introduced in the Organization’s Integrated Management System:
Organization strives to participate in the work of National and International Associations, being the member of the following ones: FIATA, IATA, IMMTA, EBA, ICCUkraine, UKZOVNISHTRANS, AIFFU (Association of International Freight Forwarders of Ukraine), Association of Customs Brokers of Ukraine, Ukrainian Association for Quality, etc.

The Organization has developed and adopted the general Integrated Management System Policy, comprising:

• Supply chain security and production policy;
• Environmental policy;
  
• Labor security policy;
  
• Social responsibility policy.

Organization pays great attention to the social projects. Thus, it is an active member of Odessa regional organization “Peace Council” under the auspices of which different charitable concerts are held and the books are published. PLASKE JSC supports “Pan-Ukrainian Fund of International Relations “Ukrainian People’s Embassy”, Convent of Archangel Mikhail and St. Uspensky Friary. PLASKE JSC is a partner of Municipal Basketball Club “Odessa” and supports sport tourism in the city.
For 10 years already Organization supports Odessa Literary Museum. Joint publishing project of the Museum and PLASKE JSC is devoted to the Odessa’s Birthday. “Odessa Calendar” starts not from the 1st of January but from the 2nd of September – the birthday of our city. 7 issues have already come off the press, they are: «Is it a pleasure to live in Odessa?» (2003-2004); «Literary Odessa» (2004-2005); «The Garden of Sculptures» (2005-2006); «Odessa’s Sister-Cities» (2006-2007); «The History of One Street. Langeronovskaya Street» (2007-2008); «The History of One Street. Gogol Street» (2008-2009); «The History of Pastera Street (the former Khersonskaya Street» (2009-2010), “The History of Marazliyevskaya Street” (2010-2011).
PLASKE JSC also supports World Club of Odessa Citizens. In 2009, it published two issues of Odessa’s Almanac “Deribasovskaya-Rishelievskaya Streets”. Odessa’s Almanac is the only one publication that publishes Odessa native writers.

PLASKE JSC was recognized by the Stakeholders:

• Certificate on Awarding Order of St. Nikolay the Wonder-worker of III Degree;
  
• Diploma of the Book Contest "Odessa on Book Pages" in “Odessika” nomination;
  
• International Book Fair "Green Wave" Diplomas;
  
• Diplomas of the International Assembly of Tourist Business;
  
• The Odessa Regional State Administration Certificate of Merit for high performance in tourism and transport business;
  
• Honorary Diploma from Organization for Railways Cooperation (OSJD);
  
• Diploma of AIFFU Perfect Member for 15 years;
  
• Certificate "Exporter of the Year 2009". First place in: Total export volume, Growth dynamics, Diversification, Geography.

The fact is that the activity, entirely focused on Customer’s demands satisfaction, has resulted into the challenges within internal relations and Personnel interest. Today we know that the investments in people are the key strategy for business processes as success of our team allows the favorable conditions and products meeting the quality requirements, expected by the Customers for obtaining success.
Oleg Platonov, President (Chairman of Supervisory Board).

During the six years (from 2004 to 2009) within the Integrated Management System the Organization was focused on product quality management, customer satisfaction, safer business and environmental responsibility. Unfortunately, the Organization appeared to miss the management-personnel contacts. Maybe, we aimed our efforts on technical issues, underselling the evaluation and recognition of Personnel as regards to values, wishes, commitment and feedback. It lead to misunderstandings between the management and the people, dispersion of what is managerial capabilities, no links between the setting the objectives and people motivation, lack of clear working roles. All of that reflected on relations between different teams within the company and may have impacted the final results and customer satisfaction rate.

The problem of interaction between the people we solved in a positive way as before this field was developed with the less energy input. We solve each challenge with the positive feelings as they force us to make a real step forward.
Ludmila Platonova, Senior Vice President (Deputy Chairman of Supervisory Board).

It was in 2009 when the Top Management emerged an idea to improve the inner relations as they are the prerequisite of Organization’s success.

We have always trying to find the tools in management which are most efficiently used for problem solving within people management. We went through many methods and approaches, world practices and ideas taken from books by gurus in management policy
Ivan Liptuga, Vice President (Deputy Chairman of Supervisory Board).

In autumn 2009 we participated in ICCUkraine event where the new people management standard was presented – i.e. “Investors in People”. Having discussed its requirements and positive impact, the Top Management decided to explore and then introduce the standard.

We have chosen Investors in People standard for our Organization as for now it is the only one international standard covering people and social aspect in business. As in our Organization we use an approach of introduction the innovative tools in Integrated Management System based on the international standards we decided to be among the first companies to do it in Ukraine.
Denis Glagolev, Corporate Secretary (Top manager).

It took 6 months to introduce Investors in People requirements within the Organization. The Top Management used this period to review its approaches to the Integrated Management System which were announced to the Personnel. At the initial stage people formed the project team consisting of nine members from different departments of PLASKE JSC, external advisers and representatives from partner organizations (Business & Innovation Centre Sunderland, Corporate Park Sunderland, UK). The second stage involved the early assessment of the of the people management in the company. It included the interview and anonymous questionnaires. After it the company received in-depth feedback and suggestions for further development. The early assessment brought information about strong aspects and also areas for improvement to reach the harmonized and balanced relations between the Top Management and the Personnel.

During the implementation of the set tasks we faced one problem: people weren’t interested in new ideas and innovations, they just didn’t want to accept them. People working in our Organization regarded the standard’s values as the imposed ones.
Sergey Sokolov, Executive Director.

In the light of report and guidelines on improvement, presented in it, the Business Plan 2010 was revised. It now covers the following objectives:

• better internal communications;
  
• introduction of recognition means;
  
• setting the clear tasks linked with the expected results from each and every worker;
  
• defining the managerial capabilities.

To improve the people management system we reached a conclusion that each person working in Organization should be treated in an individual way.

We worked with each worker, it was a personal contact. As the result people are open for dialogue, innovations and new opportunities offered by our Organization. We defined the investments in people strategy as the prerequisite for their development and improvement.
Artem Khachaturian, Director General.

To address the communications concerns and form the Personnel commitment system, the project team during several meetings (using the “brain storming” method) offered to create an Intranet-resource as the new approach to the people management.
Our management pays great attention to the advanced technologies thus our people are able to show more efficient and high-quality performance. There are the inner and external communication systems in the office. We render our services 24 hours a day. We are trying to keep up so in the beginning of 2010 we proceeded to launching the customer relationship management system which seems quite efficient.
Olga Palko, Head of Service.

As the example of the internal communication system the so called “Portal” was launched in March 2010. Its goal is to strengthen dialogue between top managers, managers and Personnel.
The Portal includes daily news of PLASKE JSC, discussion forums, space for ideas and suggestions, tips and advice written by initiative employees helping colleagues with various work tasks. People share there their ideas about the Integrated Management and feedback systems.

In the “Idea Basket” each person may propose his/her idea on future development of Organization. The most interesting ideas, chosen by the top managers, are encouraged both financially and by public recognition. The Portal also contains information on main rules and procedures in PLASKE JSC (including required managerial capabilities) and information on planned learning and development (people may voice their wish to take part in) and other events. In “Let’s chat” every employee may share his/her emotions on weekends, holidays, interesting books or movies. In the whole it became a strong connector of all people in PLASKE JSC both regarding formal and informal matters. People were very positive and excited about the impact of the Portal for their daily work.

Personally for me Portal is the webpage I want to visit every day to be closely connected with my Organization and my colleagues. Even being at home I serf for new blogs, comment them. It became possible due to Internet and technical solutions of our Organization.
Oleg Bondar, Head of Service.

The set tasks within the people management system resulted in the following:

Revision and use of efficient approaches to the planning: involvement of Personnel in setting the aims and tasks within the Organization;
Clear understanding within people of aims and objectives the Organization plans to reach;
Involvement of people in setting their development needs and understanding of their contribution affecting the work of people and Organization in whole;
The capabilities managers need to lead, manage and develop people effectively are clearly defined and understood as the most important part of single managerial culture, i.e. “Managers Competences Code”;
People’s contribution to the organization is publicly recognized and valued;
The annual evaluation system for managers and people is introduced, i.e. Efficiency Declaration.

 I want to extend my great thanks for recognition of my contribution. It is not only my own achievement. First and foremost I mean the correctly arranged work of our managers and due instructions. Thank you all!
Irina Todorenko, Senior Travel Agent.