Recent Accounting Standards

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Recent Accounting Standards [Abstract]

Recent Accounting Standards

14. Recent Accounting Standards

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2011-04 which was issued to provide a consistent definition of fair value and ensure that the fair value measurement and disclosure requirements are similar between U.S. GAAP and IFRS. ASU 2011-04 changes certain fair value measurement principles and enhances the disclosure requirements particularly for Level 3 fair value measurements.  The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2012, and its adoption did not significantly impact the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-05 which provides new guidance on the presentation of comprehensive income.  ASU 2011-05 eliminates the option to report other comprehensive income and its components in the statement of changes in stockholders’ equity and instead requires an entity to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement or in two separate but consecutive statements.  This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011, with early adoption permitted.  The adoption of this ASU only requires a change in the format of the current presentation.  The Company adopted this guidance for its 2011 year-end reporting, presenting other comprehensive earnings in a separate statement following the statement of earnings. For its condensed interim reporting herein, the Company has reported total comprehensive income using a single-statement approach.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In September 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-08 which provides an entity the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the current two-step test for goodwill impairment.  If an entity believes, as a result of its qualitative assessment, that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, the quantitative impairment test is required.  Otherwise, no further testing is required. The revised standard is effective for Dover for its annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011.  The Company performs its annual goodwill impairment test in the fourth quarter and does not expect the adoption of this ASU to significantly impact its consolidated financial statements.