BT 2009 Annual Report Download - page 24

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FINANCIAL STATEMENTS REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL REVIEWS OVERVIEW
BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL REVIEWS BUSINESS REVIEW
22 BT GROUP PLC ANNUAL REPORT & FORM 20-F
We conduct a quarterly ‘pulse’ survey, which focuses on key aspects
of our employees’ experience including attitudes to team working
and relationships with line managers. See chart on pages 24 and 25
for some key results. We encourage managers to discuss the results
with their teams and build on any strengths identified and address
any areas for improvement.
We have a record of stable industrial relations and enjoy
constructive relationships with recognised unions in the UK and
works councils elsewhere in Europe. In the UK, we recognise two
main trade unions – the Communication Workers Union and
Connect. We also operate a pan-European works council, the
BTECC.
Our UK network
We have the most comprehensive fixed-line communications
network in the UK, with around 5,600 exchanges, 680 local and
120 trunk processor units, more than 128m kilometres of copper
wire and over 11m kilometres of optical fibre, and an extensive IP
backbone network.
Our global research and development capability
We have created a global research and development (R&D)
capability to support BT’s drive to meet customers’ needs around
the world. We have a world-class team of researchers, scientists
and developers, including people at Adastral Park near Ipswich
(England), a research team based in Malaysia and a new research
centre in China. We have recently established a collaborative
research and innovation centre in the United Arab Emirates with the
Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) and Khalifa
University. We also play a leading role in the India-UK Advanced
Technology Centre, a research consortium of industry and academic
partners from India and the UK.
We have established two global development centres in the UK
and India, and are currently establishing three more in Europe, the
US and China. These bring all our global development teams
together, and use online collaboration and videoconferencing
systems for virtual joint working.
Open innovation
We embrace open innovation, reaching out beyond the company to
find the best people and the best ideas, wherever they are in the
world. We are involved in partnerships at every stage of the
innovation process, from scientific research to the development of
new products and services.
We have dedicated innovation scanning teams in the US, Asia,
Europe and the Middle East who identify more than 600 new
technologies, business propositions and market trends a year.
In 2009, we invested £1,119m (2008: £1,252m) in R&D to
support our drive for innovation. This investment comprised
capitalised software development costs of £529m (2008: £720m)
and R&D operating costs of £590m (2008: £532m).
We work with more than 30 universities around the world and have
key partner relationships with the University of Cambridge,
University of Oxford, University College London and MIT
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
Building on our long tradition of innovation, we filed patent
applications for 120 inventions in 2009. We routinely seek patent
protection in different countries including the US, Japan, France,
Germany and China, and we currently maintain a total worldwide
portfolio of around 7,600 patents and applications.
£1.1bn
invested in R&D in 2009
BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL REVIEWS