Operating Expenses

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

Operating Expenses [Abstract]

Operating Expenses

6.  Operating expenses

Costs of services, excluding D&A

Year ended December 31,		2017		2016		2015
Employee compensation expenses	$	35,440	$	27,856	$	22,855
Buildings, facilities and technology expenses		8,359		7,966		7,179
Travel, advertising and promotion expenses		23,994		23,688		22,150
Other costs of services		11,220		6,552		3,842
	$	79,013	$	66,062	$	56,026

SG&A expenses

Year ended December 31,		2017		2016		2015
Employee compensation expenses	$	208,370	$	180,929	$	166,227
Buildings, facilities and technology expenses		53,151		49,219		41,404
Travel, advertising and promotion expenses		30,440		24,384		22,307
Professional fees		13,522		13,344		12,500
Other SG&A expenses		17,787		15,653		11,951
	$	323,270	$	283,529	$	254,389

6.  Operating expenses (continued)

Acquisition-related costs

Acquisition-related costs consist of operating expenses directly incurred as part of a business combination, due diligence and integration planning related to the IronPlanet acquisition (note 32), and continuing employment costs that are recognized separately from our business combinations. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the definition of acquisition-related costs was expanded to include continuing employment costs incurred to retain key employees for a specified period of time following a business acquisition. This change was applied retrospectively and resulted in a further reclassification of SG&A expenses to acquisition-related costs.

Year ended December 31,		2017		2016		2015
IronPlanet: (note 32)					$	-
Stock option compensation
expense (note 28)	$	4,752	$	-
Legal costs		8,898		3,402
Other acquisition-related costs		21,003		4,800
Mascus: (note 32)
Continuing employment costs		530		954		-
Other acquisition-related costs		22		766		-
Xcira:
Continuing employment costs		1,811		1,111		191
Other acquisition-related costs		-		-		410
Petrowsky: (note 32)
Continuing employment costs		649		350		-
Other acquisition-related costs		4		254		-
Kramer: (note 32)
Continuing employment costs		428		76		-
Other acquisition-related costs		79		116
Other		96		-		-
	$	38,272	$	11,829	$	601

Depreciation and amortization expenses

Year ended December 31,		2017		2016		2015
Depreciation expense	$	28,337	$	30,983	$	35,374
Amortization expense		24,357		9,878		6,658
	$	52,694	$	40,861	$	42,032

During the year ended December 31, 2017, depreciation expense of $1,207,000 (2016: $2,880,000; 2015: $4,340,000) and amortization expense of $11,662,000 (2016: $7,218,000; 2015: $4,680,000) were recorded relating to software.