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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported asset and liability amounts, and the contingent asset and liability disclosures at the date of the financial statements, as well as the revenue and expense amounts reported during the period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Foreign Currency. For our international operations where the local currency has been determined to be the functional currency, assets and liabilities are translated at year-end exchange rates with cumulative translation adjustments included as a component of shareholders’ equity. Income and expense items are translated at average foreign exchange rates prevailing during the year. Gains and losses from foreign currency transactions are included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Cash Equivalents. Cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the time of purchase. The carrying amounts reported in the Consolidated Balance Sheets for cash equivalents approximate fair value. Restricted cash is related to contractual obligations or has been restricted by management for specific use and is included in other assets on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Trade Accounts Receivable and Allowances. Trade accounts receivable are stated net of estimated allowances, which primarily represent estimated amounts associated with customer returns, discounts on payment terms and the inability of certain customers to make the required payments. When determining the allowances, we take several factors into consideration, including prior history of accounts receivable credit activity and write-offs, the overall composition of accounts receivable aging, the types of customers and our day-to-day knowledge of specific customers. Changes in the allowances are recorded as reductions of net revenue or as bad debt expense (included in selling, general and administrative expense), as appropriate, in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. In general, accounts which have entered into an insolvency action, have been returned by a collection agency as uncollectible or whose existence can no longer be confirmed are written off in full and both the receivable and the associated allowance are removed from the Consolidated Balance Sheet. If, subsequent to the write-off, a portion of the account is recovered, it is recorded as a reduction of bad debt expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations at the time cash is received.
Inventories. Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market, with cost generally determined on a first-in, first-out basis. We provide estimated inventory write-downs for excess, slow-moving and obsolete inventory as well as inventory with a carrying value in excess of net realizable value.
Derivative Financial Instruments. We recognize all derivatives, including foreign currency exchange contracts on the balance sheet at their estimated fair value. Fair value of our derivative contracts with durations of twelve months or less are classified as current and durations of greater than twelve months as non-current. Changes in the estimated fair value of derivatives that are not designated as, and qualify for, hedge accounting are recorded in our results of operations. We do not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for speculative or trading purposes and we are not a party to leveraged derivatives. If a derivative is designated as, and qualifies for hedge accounting, depending on the nature of the hedge, changes in the fair value of the derivative are either offset against the change in fair value of the underlying assets or liabilities through operations or recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss in shareholders’ equity until the underlying hedged item is recognized in operations. These gains and losses are generally recognized as an adjustment to cost of goods sold for inventory-related hedge transactions, or as adjustments to foreign currency transaction gains or losses included in non-operating expenses for foreign denominated payables and receivables-related hedge transactions. Cash flows attributable to these derivatives are included with cash flows of the associated hedged items. The ineffective portion of a derivative’s change in fair value is immediately recognized in our Consolidated Statements of Operations. See Note 12 - Fair Value Measurements for more information on our derivative financial instruments.
Property, Plant and Equipment. Property, plant and equipment, including leasehold and other improvements that extend an asset’s useful life or productive capabilities, are recorded at cost. Maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. The cost and related accumulated depreciation of assets sold or otherwise disposed are removed from the related accounts and the gains or losses are reflected in the results of operations.
Property, plant and equipment are generally depreciated on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. The estimated depreciable lives range from 10 to 20 years for buildings and 5 to 10 years for machinery and equipment. Leasehold and other improvements are amortized over the lesser of the remaining life of the lease or the estimated useful life of the improvement, whichever is shorter. Depreciation expense was $8.3 million, $10.7 million and $18.2 million for 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.
Intangible Assets. Intangible assets include principally trade names and customer relationships and are amortized using methods that approximate the benefit provided by utilization of the assets, which may be on a straight-line or accelerated basis depending on the intangible asset.
We record all assets and liabilities acquired in purchase acquisitions, including intangibles, at estimated fair value. The initial recognition of intangible assets, the determination of useful lives and, if necessary, subsequent impairment analyses require management to make subjective estimates of how the acquired assets will perform in the future using certain valuation methods. See Note 6 - Intangible Assets and Goodwill for further information on our intangible assets and impairment testing.
We capitalize costs of software developed or obtained for internal use, once the preliminary project stage has been completed, management commits to funding the project and it is probable that the project will be completed and the software will be used to perform the function intended. Capitalized costs include only (1) external direct costs of materials and services consumed in developing or obtaining internal-use software, (2) payroll and payroll-related costs for employees who are directly associated with and who devote time to the internal-use software project and (3) interest costs incurred, when material, while developing internal-use software. Capitalization of costs ceases when the project is substantially complete and ready for its intended use.
Goodwill.  Goodwill is the excess of the cost of an acquired entity over the estimated fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination. Goodwill is not amortized. Goodwill is tested for impairment annually as of November 30, or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Goodwill is considered impaired when its carrying amount exceeds its implied fair value. The first step of the impairment test involves comparing the fair value of the reporting unit to which goodwill was assigned to its carrying amount. If fair value is deemed to be less than carrying value, the second step of the impairment test compares the implied fair value of the reporting unit's goodwill with the carrying amount of the reporting unit's goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit's goodwill is greater than the implied fair value of the reporting unit's goodwill an impairment loss must be recognized for the excess. This involves measuring the fair value of the reporting unit's assets and liabilities (both recognized and unrecognized) at the time of the impairment test. The difference between the reporting unit's fair value and the fair values assigned to the reporting unit's individual assets and liabilities is the implied fair value of the reporting unit's goodwill. See Note 6 - Intangible Assets and Goodwill for further information on our goodwill and impairment testing.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets.  We periodically review the carrying value of our property and equipment and our intangible assets to test whether current events or circumstances indicate that such carrying value may not be recoverable. For the testing of long-lived assets that are "held for use," if the tests indicate that the carrying value of the asset group that contains the long-lived asset being evaluated is greater than the expected undiscounted cash flows to be generated by such asset or asset group, an impairment loss would be recognized. The impairment loss is determined by the amount by which the carrying value of such asset group exceeds its estimated fair value. We generally measure fair value by considering sale prices for similar assets or by discounting estimated future cash flows from such assets using an appropriate discount rate. See Note 6 - Intangible Assets and Goodwill for further information on impairment testing.
Assets to be disposed of and qualify as being "held for sale" are carried at the lower of their carrying value or fair value less costs to sell. Considerable management judgment is necessary to estimate the fair value of assets and, accordingly, actual results could vary significantly from such estimates.
Revenue Recognition.  We sell a wide range of removable data storage media products as well as certain consumer electronic products. Net revenue consists primarily of magnetic, optical, flash media, consumer electronics and accessories sales. We recognize revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, fees are fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. For product sales, delivery is considered to have occurred when the risks and rewards of ownership transfer to the customer. For inventory maintained at the customer site, revenue is recognized at the time these products are sold by the customer. We base our estimates for returns on historical experience and have not experienced significant fluctuations between estimated and actual return activity. Non-income based taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are also recorded as revenue and include levies and various excise taxes, mainly in non-U.S. jurisdictions. These taxes included in revenue in 2012, 2011, and 2010 were $13.8 million, $20.3 million, and $28.3 million, respectively.
We do not utilize a significant amount of multiple-element revenue arrangements.  As of December 31, 2012, we had an immaterial amount of deferred revenue associated with such arrangements (excluding amounts acquired as a part of the Nexsan acquisition).
Rebates that are provided to our customers are accounted for as a reduction of revenue at the time of sale based on an estimate of the cost to honor the related rebate programs. The rebate programs that we offer vary across our businesses as we serve numerous markets. The most common incentives relate to amounts paid or credited to customers that are volume-based and rebates to support promotional activities.
Concentrations of Credit Risk. We sell a wide range of products and services to a diversified base of customers around the world and perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers’ financial condition. Therefore, we believe there is no material concentration of credit risk. No single customer represented more than 10 percent of total net revenue or accounts receivable in 2012, 2011, or 2010.
Inventory Related Shipping and Handling Costs.  Costs related to shipping and handling are included in cost of goods sold.
Research and Development Costs.  Research and development costs are charged to expense as incurred. Research and development costs include salaries, stock compensation, payroll taxes, employee benefit costs, supplies, depreciation and maintenance of research equipment as well as the allocable portion of facility costs such as rent, utilities, insurance, repairs, maintenance and general support services.
Advertising Costs.  Advertising and other promotional costs are expensed as incurred and were approximately $6 million, $2 million and $4 million in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.
Rebates Received.  We receive rebates from some of our inventory vendors if we achieve pre-determined purchasing thresholds. These rebates are accounted for as a reduction of the price of the vendor's products and are included as a reduction of our cost of goods sold in the period in which the purchased inventory is sold.
Income Taxes.  We are required to estimate our income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves estimating our actual current tax obligations based on expected taxable income, statutory tax rates and tax credits allowed in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. Tax laws require certain items to be included in our tax returns at different times than the items are reflected in our results of operations. Some of these differences are permanent, such as expenses that are not deductible in our tax returns, and some are temporary differences that will reverse over time. Temporary differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We must assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be realized and establish a valuation allowance to the extent necessary.
We record income taxes using the asset and liability approach. Under this approach, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the book and tax basis of assets and liabilities. We measure deferred tax assets and liabilities using the enacted statutory tax rates that are expected to apply in the years in which the temporary differences are expected to be recovered or paid.
We regularly assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered in the future. In accordance with accounting rules, a valuation allowance is recorded to the extent we conclude a deferred tax asset is not considered to be more-likely-than-not to be realized. We consider all positive and negative evidence related to the realization of the deferred tax assets in assessing the need for a valuation allowance. If we determine it is more-likely-than-not that we will not realize all or part of our deferred tax assets, an adjustment to the deferred tax asset will be charged to earnings in the period such determination is made.
Our income tax returns are subject to review by various U.S. and foreign taxing authorities. As such, we record accruals for items that we believe may be challenged by these taxing authorities. The threshold for recognizing the benefit of a tax return position in the financial statements is that the position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained by the taxing authorities based solely on the technical merits of the position. If the recognition threshold is met, the tax benefit is measured and recognized as the largest amount of tax benefit that, in our judgment, is greater than 50 percent likely to be realized. Interest and penalties recorded for uncertain tax positions are included in our income tax provision.
Treasury Stock.  Our repurchases of shares of common stock are recorded at cost as treasury stock and are presented as a reduction of shareholders’ equity. When treasury shares are reissued, we use a last-in, first-out method and the difference between repurchase cost and fair value at reissuance is treated as an adjustment to equity.
Stock-Based Compensation.  Stock-based compensation awards are measured at fair value at the date of grant and expensed over their vesting or service periods.
The fair value of each option award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option valuation model. The assumptions used in the valuation model are supported primarily by historical indicators and current market conditions. Expected volatilities are based on historical volatility of our stock and are calculated using the historical weekly close rate for a period of time equal to the expected term. The risk-free rate for the contractual life of the option is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant. We use historical data to estimate option exercise and employee termination activity within the valuation model. The expected term of stock options granted is based on historical data and represents the period of time that stock options granted are expected to be outstanding. It is calculated on an aggregated basis and estimated based on an analysis of options already exercised and any foreseeable trends or changes in recipients’ behavior. In determining the expected term, we consider the vesting period of the awards, the contractual term of the awards, historical average holding periods, stock price history, impacts from recent restructuring initiatives and the relative weight for each of these factors. The dividend yield, if applicable, is based on the latest dividend payments made on or announced by the date of the grant. Forfeitures are estimated based on historical experience and current demographics. See Note 8 - Stock-Based Compensation for further information regarding stock-based compensation.
Weighted Average Basic and Diluted Shares Outstanding. Basic (loss) earnings per common share is calculated using the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the year. Diluted (loss) earnings per common share is computed on the basis of the weighted average basic shares outstanding plus the dilutive effect of our stock-based compensation plans using the “treasury stock” method. Unvested restricted stock and treasury shares are excluded from the calculation of weighted average number of common shares outstanding. Once restricted stock vests, it is included in our common shares outstanding.
Potential common shares are excluded from the computation of diluted (loss) earnings per common share when the effect would be anti-dilutive. All potential common shares are anti-dilutive in periods of net loss available to common shareholders. Stock options are also anti-dilutive when the exercise price of these instruments is greater than the average market price of the Company's common stock for the period. See Note 3 - (Loss) Earnings per Common Share for our calculation of weighted average basic and diluted shares outstanding.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Management has assessed the potential impact of accounting standards that have been issued but are not yet effective and has determined that no such standards are expected to have a material impact to our Consolidated Financial Statements.