Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation: The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company. Investments in entities in which the Company has at least a 20%, but less than a majority interest, are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Investments in entities in which the Company has less than a 20% ownership and in which it does not exercise significant influence are accounted for using the cost method of accounting. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates: The preparation of the Company’s financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Reclassifications: Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year’s presentation.

Book Overdrafts: Under the Company’s cash management system, a book overdraft balance exists for the Company’s primary disbursement accounts. This overdraft represents uncleared checks in excess of cash balances in individual bank accounts. The Company’s funds are transferred from other existing bank account balances or from lines of credit as needed to fund checks presented for payment. As of April 30, 2015 and 2014, book overdrafts of $16.1 million and $22.8 million, respectively, were included in Accounts and Royalties Payable in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.

Revenue Recognition: The Company recognizes revenue when the following criteria are met: persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists; delivery has occurred or services have been rendered; the price to the customer is fixed or determinable; and collectability is reasonably assured. If all of the above criteria have been met, revenue is recognized upon shipment of products or when services have been rendered. Revenue related to journal subscriptions and other products and services that are generally collected in advance are deferred and recognized as earned primarily when the related issue is shipped, made available online or the service is rendered. Collectability is evaluated based on the amount involved, the credit history of the customer, and the status of the customer’s account with the Company.

The Company offers an alternative digital journal subscription license model to subscribers in certain markets. Under this alternative model, the Company provides access to all journal content published within a calendar year. Under the Company’s previous licensing model, a customer subscribed to a discrete number of online journal issues and revenue was recognized as each issue was made available online. Based on the success of the program to date, the Company will expand its alternative model offering in calendar year 2016. The new time-based model will result in substantially all digital journal subscription revenue recognized on a straight-line basis over the calendar year.

When a product is sold with multiple deliverables, the Company accounts for each deliverable within the arrangement as a separate unit of accounting due to the fact that each deliverable is also sold on a stand-alone basis. The total consideration of a multiple-element arrangement is allocated to each unit of accounting based on the price charged by the Company when it is sold separately. The Company’s multiple deliverable arrangements principally include WileyPLUS, the online course management tool for the Company’s Education business which includes a complete print or digital textbook for the course; negotiated licenses for bundles of digital content available on Wiley Online Library, the online publishing platform for the Company’s Research business; and test preparation, assessment, certification and training services sold by the Professional Development business which can include bundles of print and digital content and online workflow solutions.

The Company enters into contracts for the resale of its content through a third party where the Company is not the primary obligor of the arrangement because it is not responsible for fulfilling the customer’s order; handling customer requests or claims and/or maintains credit risk. The Company recognizes revenue for the sale of its content, net of any commission owed to the third party seller or taxes which are remitted to government authorities.

Cash Equivalents: Cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less and are stated at cost plus accrued interest, which approximates market value.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts: The estimated allowance for doubtful accounts is based on a review of the aging of the accounts receivable balances, historical write-off experience, credit evaluations of customers and current market conditions. A change in the evaluation of a customer’s credit could affect the estimated allowance. The allowance for doubtful accounts is shown as a reduction of Accounts Receivable in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position and amounted to $8.3 million and $7.9 million as of April 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Sales Return Reserves: The process which the Company uses to determine its sales returns and the related reserve provision charged against revenue is based on applying an estimated return rate to current year returnable print book sales. This rate is based upon an analysis of actual historical return experience in the various markets and geographic regions in which the Company does business. The Company collects, maintains and analyzes significant amounts of sales returns data for large volumes of homogeneous transactions. This allows the Company to make reasonable estimates of the amount of future returns. All available data is utilized to identify the returns by market and as to which fiscal year the sales returns apply. This enables management to track the returns in detail and identify and react to trends occurring in the marketplace, with the objective of being able to make the most informed judgments possible in setting reserve rates. Associated with the estimated sales return reserves, the Company also includes a related reduction in inventory and royalty costs as a result of the expected returns. Net print book sales return reserves amounted to $25.3 million and $28.6 million as of April 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

The reserves are reflected in the following accounts of the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position – increase (decrease) as of April 30:

	2015	2014
Accounts Receivable	$(37,300)	$(41,102)
Inventories	6,555	6,774
Accounts and Royalties Payable	(5,405)	(5,695)
Decrease in Net Assets	$(25,340)	$(28,633)

Inventories: Inventories are carried at the lower of cost or market. U.S. book inventories aggregating $35.7 million and $41.3 million at April 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively, are valued using the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method. All other inventories are valued using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method.

Reserve for Inventory Obsolescence: A reserve for inventory obsolescence is estimated based on a review of damaged, obsolete, or otherwise unsalable inventory. The review encompasses historical unit sales trends by title; current market conditions, including estimates of customer demand compared to the number of units currently on hand; and publication revision cycles. The inventory obsolescence reserve is reported as a reduction of the Inventories balance in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position and amounted to $21.9 million and $25.1 million as of April 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Product Development Assets: Product development assets consist of composition costs and royalty advances. Costs associated with developing a publication are expensed until the product is determined to be commercially viable. Composition costs represent the costs incurred to bring an edited commercial manuscript to publication, which include typesetting, proofreading, design, illustration costs, and digital formatting. Composition costs are capitalized and are generally amortized on a double-declining basis over their estimated useful lives, ranging from 1 to 3 years. Royalty advances are capitalized and, upon publication, are expensed as royalties earned based on sales of the published works. Royalty advances are reviewed for recoverability and a reserve for loss is maintained, if appropriate.

Shipping and Handling Costs: Costs incurred for third party shipping and handling are reflected in the Operating and Administrative Expenses line item in the Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company incurred $42.5 million, $42.2 million and $46.0 million in shipping and handling costs in fiscal years 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Advertising Expense: Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. The Company incurred $40.8 million, $35.2 million and $29.2 million in advertising costs in fiscal years 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Technology, Property and Equipment: Technology, property and equipment is recorded at cost. Major renewals and improvements are capitalized, while maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred.

Technology, property and equipment is depreciated using the straight-line method based upon the following estimated useful lives: Buildings and Leasehold Improvements – the lesser of the estimated useful life of the asset up to 40 years or the duration of the lease; Furniture and Fixtures - 3 to 10 years; Computer Hardware and Software - 3 to 10 years.

Costs incurred for computer software developed or obtained for internal use are capitalized during the application development stage and expensed as incurred during the preliminary project and post-implementation stages. Costs incurred during the application development stage include costs of materials and services, and payroll and payroll-related costs for employees who are directly associated with the software project. Such costs are amortized over the expected useful life of the related software which is generally 3 to 6 years. Maintenance, training, and upgrade costs that do not result in additional functionality are expensed as incurred.

Allocation of Acquisition Purchase Price to Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed: In connection with acquisitions, the Company allocates the cost of the acquisition to the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed based on the estimates of fair value for such items, including intangible assets and technology acquired. Such estimates include discounted estimated cash flows to be generated by those assets and the expected useful lives based on historical experience, current market trends, and synergies to be achieved from the acquisition and the expected tax basis of assets acquired. The Company may use a third party valuation consultant to assist in the determination of such estimates.

Goodwill and Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets: Goodwill is the excess of the purchase price paid over the fair value of the net assets of the business acquired. Indefinite-lived intangible assets primarily consist of brands, trademarks, content and publishing rights and are typically characterized by intellectual property with a long and well-established revenue stream resulting from strong and well-established imprint/brand recognition in the market. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized but are reviewed annually for impairment, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate the asset might be impaired. The Company evaluates the recoverability of indefinite-lived intangible assets by comparing the fair value of the intangible asset to its carrying value.

To evaluate the recoverability of goodwill, the Company uses a two-step impairment test approach at the reporting unit level. In the first step, the estimated fair value of the entire reporting unit is compared to its carrying value including goodwill. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying value, a second step is performed to determine the charge for goodwill impairment. In the second step, the Company determines an implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill by determining the fair value of the individual assets and liabilities (including any previously unrecognized intangible assets) of the reporting unit other than goodwill. The resulting implied fair value of the goodwill is compared to the carrying amount and an impairment charge is recognized for the difference.

In certain circumstances, the Company uses a qualitative assessment as an alternative to the two-step test approach. Under this approach certain market, industry and financial performance factors are considered to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If that is the case, the two-step approach described above is then performed to evaluate the recoverability of goodwill.

Intangible Assets with Finite Lives and Other Long-Lived Assets: Finite-lived intangible assets principally consist of brands, trademarks, content and publication rights, customer relationships and non-compete agreements and are amortized over their estimated useful lives. The most significant factors in determining the estimated lives of these intangibles are the history and longevity of the brands, trademarks and content and publication rights acquired, combined with the strength of cash flows. Content and publication rights, trademarks, customer relationships and brands with finite lives are amortized on a straight-line basis over periods ranging from 5 to 40 years. Non-compete agreements are amortized over the terms of the individual agreement, generally up to 5 years.

Intangible assets with finite lives as of April 30, 2015 are amortized on a straight line basis over the following weighted average estimated useful lives: content and publishing rights – 32 years; customer relationships – 19 years; brands and trademarks – 11 years; non-compete agreements – 5 years.

Assets with finite lives are only evaluated for impairment upon a significant change in the operating or macroeconomic environment. In these circumstances, if an evaluation of the projected undiscounted cash flows indicates impairment, the asset is written down to its estimated fair value based on the discounted future cash flows.

Derivative Financial Instruments: The Company, from time to time, enters into forward exchange and interest rate swap contracts as a hedge against foreign currency asset and liability commitments, changes in interest rates and anticipated transaction exposures, including intercompany purchases. All derivatives are recognized as assets or liabilities and measured at fair value. Derivatives that are not determined to be effective hedges are adjusted to fair value with a corresponding adjustment to earnings. The Company does not use financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

Foreign Currency Gains/Losses: The Company maintains operations in many non-U.S. locations. Assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars using end of period exchange rates and revenues and expense are translated into U.S. dollars using weighted average rates. The Company’s significant investments in non-U.S. businesses are exposed to foreign currency risk. Foreign currency translation adjustments are reported as a separate component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss within Shareholders’ Equity. During fiscal year 2015, the Company recorded $180.2 million of foreign currency translation losses primarily due to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to the British pound sterling, euro and Australian dollar. Foreign currency transaction gains or losses are recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Income as incurred.

Share-Based Compensation: The Company recognizes share-based compensation expense based on the fair value of the share-based awards on the grant date, reduced by an estimate for future forfeited awards. As such, share-based compensation expense is only recognized for those awards that are expected to ultimately vest. The fair value of share-based awards is recognized in net income on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. Share-based compensation expense associated with performance-based stock awards is based on actual financial results for targets established three years in advance. The cumulative effect on current and prior periods of a change in the estimated number of performance share awards, or estimated forfeiture rate, is recognized as an adjustment to earnings in the period of the revision.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards: In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2014-09 "Revenue from Contracts with Customers" (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”), and the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) published its equivalent standard, International Financial Reporting Standard (“IFRS”) 15, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”. These joint comprehensive new revenue recognition standards will supersede most existing revenue recognition guidance and are intended to improve and converge revenue recognition and related financial reporting requirements. The standard is effective for the Company on May 1, 2017 with early adoption prohibited. The standard allows for either “full retrospective” adoption, meaning the standard is applied to all periods presented, or “cumulative effect” adoption, meaning the standard is applied only to the most current period presented in the financial statements. The Company is currently assessing whether the adoption of the guidance will have a significant impact on its consolidated financial statements.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03 "Interest- Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs" (“ASU 2015-03”). The ASU requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented on the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability. Previously, debt issuance costs were recognized as assets on the balance sheet. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected by the amendments in this ASU. The standard is effective for the Company on May 1, 2016, with early adoption permitted, and requires retrospective application to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. Although the new guidance will have no impact on the Company’s results of operations, the debt issuance costs presented as assets within the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Financial Position ($1.4 million as of April 30, 2015) will be reclassified as reductions of the related debt liability when the guidance is adopted.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-05 "Intangibles- Goodwill and Other- Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Fees Paid in Cloud Computing Arrangements" (“ASU 2015-05”). Cloud computing arrangements represent the delivery of hosted services over the internet which include software, platforms, infrastructure and other hosting arrangements. The ASU provides criteria to determine whether the cloud computing arrangement includes a software license. If the criteria are met, the customer will capitalize the fee attributable to the software license portion of the arrangement as internal-use software. If the arrangement does not include a software license, it should be treated as a service contract and expensed as services are received. The standard is effective for the Company on May 1, 2016 with early adoption permitted. An entity can elect to adopt either prospectively for all arrangements entered into after the effective date or retrospectively. The Company is currently assessing whether the adoption of the guidance will have a significant impact on its consolidated financial statements.