Accounting Changes (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

New Accounting Principles Adopted and Not Yet Adopted

New Accounting Principles Adopted

In June 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance that requires the netting of unrecognized tax benefits against a deferred tax asset for a loss or other carryforward that would apply in settlement of the uncertain tax positions. In March 2013, the FASB issued amendments to resolve diversity in practice relating to the release of cumulative translation adjustments into earnings upon the occurrence of certain derecognition events involving a foreign entity. The Company prospectively adopted both accounting standard updates, which did not impact its consolidated financial statements, on October 1, 2014.

New Accounting Principle Not Yet Adopted

In May 2014, the FASB issued a new revenue recognition standard. Under this standard, revenue will be recognized upon the transfer of goods or services to customers and the amount of revenue recognized will reflect the consideration to which a reporting entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that this new revenue recognition standard will have on its consolidated financial statements upon required adoption of the standard on October 1, 2017. Early adoption is not permitted.

ASC 450-20 Recognition Guidelines

Given the uncertain nature of litigation generally, the Company is not able in all cases to estimate the amount or range of loss that could result from an unfavorable outcome of the litigation to which the Company is a party. In accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, the Company establishes accruals to the extent probable future losses are estimable (in the case of environmental matters, without considering possible third-party recoveries). In view of the uncertainties discussed below, the Company could incur charges in excess of any currently established accruals and, to the extent available, liability insurance. In the opinion of management, any such future charges, individually or in the aggregate, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations and consolidated cash flows.

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

Foreign Currency Risks and Related Strategies

The Company has foreign currency exposures throughout Europe, Asia Pacific, Canada, Japan and Latin America. Transactional currency exposures that arise from entering into transactions, generally on an intercompany basis, in non-hyperinflationary countries that are denominated in currencies other than the functional currency are mitigated primarily through the use of forward contracts and currency options. Hedges of the transactional foreign exchange exposures resulting primarily from intercompany payables and receivables are undesignated hedges. As such, the gains or losses on these instruments are recognized immediately in income. The offset of these gains or losses against the gains and losses on the underlying hedged items, as well as the hedging costs associated with the derivative instruments, is recognized in Other income (expense), net.

The total notional amounts of the Company’s outstanding foreign exchange contracts as of December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014 were $ 2.3 billion and $1.8 billion, respectively.

Interest Rate Risks and Related Strategies

The Company’s primary interest rate exposure results from changes in U.S. dollar interest rates. The Company’s policy is to manage interest cost using a mix of fixed and variable rate debt. The Company periodically uses interest rate swaps to manage such exposures. Under these interest rate swaps, the Company exchanges, at specified intervals, the difference between fixed and floating interest amounts calculated by reference to an agreed-upon notional principal amount. These swaps are designated as either fair value or cash flow hedges.

For interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges (i.e., hedges against the exposure to changes in the fair value of an asset or a liability or an identified portion thereof that is attributable to a particular risk), changes in the fair value of the interest rate swaps offset changes in the fair value of the fixed rate debt due to changes in market interest rates.

Changes in the fair value of the interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges (i.e., hedging the exposure to variability in expected future cash flows that is attributable to a particular risk) are offset by amounts recorded in Other comprehensive income (loss). If interest rate derivatives designated as cash flow hedges are terminated, the balance in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) attributable to those derivatives is reclassified into earnings over the remaining life of the hedged debt. The net realized loss related to terminated interest rate swaps expected to be reclassified and recorded in Interest expense within the next 12 months is $6 million, net of tax. The Company had no outstanding interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges as of December 31, 2014 or as of September 30, 2014.

The total notional amount of the Company’s outstanding interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges was $375 million at December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014. The outstanding swaps represent fixed-to-floating interest rate swap agreements the Company entered into, in March and September 2014, to convert the interest payments on $375 million of the Company’s 3.125% notes, due November 8, 2021, from the fixed rate to a floating interest rate based on LIBOR. Changes in the fair value of the interest rate swaps offset changes in the fair value of the fixed rate debt. The gain recorded on these fair value hedges and the offsetting loss recorded on the underlying debt instrument was $10 million at December 31, 2014.

Other Risk Exposures

The Company purchases resins, which are oil-based components used in the manufacture of certain products. Significant increases in world oil prices that lead to increases in resin purchase costs could impact future operating results. From time to time, the Company has managed price risks associated with these commodity purchases. The Company had no outstanding commodity derivative contracts designated as cash flow hedges as of December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014.

ASC 820 Fair Value Disclosures

The Company measures the fair value of forward exchange contracts and interest rate swaps based upon the present value of expected future cash flows using market-based observable inputs including credit risk, interest rate yield curves, foreign currency spot prices and forward prices.

Long-term debt is recorded at amortized cost. The fair value of long-term debt is measured based upon quoted prices in active markets for similar instruments, which are considered Level 2 inputs in the fair value hierarchy. The fair value of long-term debt was $10.4 billion and $4.1 billion at December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014, respectively.

The contingent consideration liabilities were recognized as part of the consideration transferred by the Company for certain acquisitions. The fair values of the contingent consideration liabilities were estimated using probability-weighted discounted cash flow models that were based upon the probabilities assigned to the contingent events. The estimated fair values of the contingent consideration liabilities are remeasured at each reporting period based upon increases or decreases in the probability of the contingent payments. The increase to the total contingent consideration liability in the three months ended December 31, 2014 is attributable to a contingent consideration liability of $36 million recognized in connection with the Company’s acquisition of GenCell in the first quarter of fiscal year 2015.

The Company’s policy is to recognize any transfers into fair value measurement hierarchy levels and transfers out of levels at the beginning of each reporting period. There were no transfers in and out of Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 measurements for the three months ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.