The report points out that there is a strong focus on research and innovation in all the companies controlled by the Coesia Group. This is manifested principally through investment in people, in order to develop their expertise and their goals, using ongoing training programmes tailored to various kinds of specific operational roles. These programmes include MBA Master courses, the cost of which are borne entirely by the company, but also language and computer courses on a daily basis, which are available for all employees including those whose daily mansions do not necessarily include such subjects but wish to expand their personal skills. In the Bologna headquarters of the Group alone, 50,000 hours were devoted to training activity in 2008. The Group also runs various internal mobility programmes, for both technical and management personnel, including the possibility of taking up foreign postings for several years. Company safety policies deserve a special mention. The Top Employers 2009 report highlights the marked improvement shown in this aspect, thanks to the consistent investments and numerous projects implemented in recent years. G.D has also had its environmental and safety standards recently certified, adding to the numerous official acknowledgements it received in this field. On the ecological front, the company recently presented an energy plan extending to 2012: this aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by one third, through changing personal behaviour patterns at work and through the use of the latest technologies.