Financial Instruments (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivatives, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Risk-management instruments

Our derivative activities are initiated within the guidelines of documented corporate risk-management policies and offset losses and gains on the assets, liabilities, and transactions being hedged. Management reviews the correlation and effectiveness of our derivatives on a quarterly basis.

For derivative contracts that are designated and qualify as fair value hedges, the derivative instrument is marked to market with gains and losses recognized currently in income to offset the respective losses and gains recognized on the underlying exposure. For derivative contracts that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges, the effective portion of gains and losses on these contracts is reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss and reclassified into earnings in the same period the hedged transaction affects earnings. Hedge ineffectiveness is immediately recognized in earnings. Derivative contracts that are not designated as hedging instruments are recorded at fair value with the gain or loss recognized in current earnings during the period of change.

We may enter into foreign currency forward or option contracts to reduce the effect of fluctuating currency exchange rates (principally the euro, the British pound, and the Japanese yen). Foreign currency derivatives used for hedging are put in place using the same or like currencies and duration as the underlying exposures. Forward and option contracts are principally used to manage exposures arising from subsidiary trade and loan payables and receivables denominated in foreign currencies. These contracts are recorded at fair value with the gain or loss recognized in other–net, (income) expense. We may enter into foreign currency forward and option contracts and currency swaps as fair value hedges of firm commitments. Forward contracts generally have maturities not exceeding 12 months.

In the normal course of business, our operations are exposed to fluctuations in interest rates which can vary the costs of financing, investing, and operating. We address a portion of these risks through a controlled program of risk management that includes the use of derivative financial instruments. The objective of controlling these risks is to limit the impact of fluctuations in interest rates on earnings. Our primary interest-rate risk exposure results from changes in short-term U.S. dollar interest rates. In an effort to manage interest-rate exposures, we strive to achieve an acceptable balance between fixed- and floating-rate debt and investment positions and may enter into interest rate swaps or collars to help maintain that balance.

Interest rate swaps or collars that convert our fixed-rate debt to a floating rate are designated as fair value hedges of the underlying instruments. Interest rate swaps or collars that convert floating-rate debt to a fixed rate are designated as cash flow hedges. Interest expense on the debt is adjusted to include the payments made or received under the swap agreements. Cash proceeds from or payments to counterparties resulting from the termination of interest rate swaps are classified as operating activities in our consolidated statement of cash flows.

We may enter into forward contracts and designate them as cash flow hedges to limit the potential volatility of earnings and cash flow associated with forecasted sales of available-for-sale securities.

Investments in debt securities are subject to different interest rate risks based on their maturities. We may manage the average maturity of our investments in debt securities to achieve economic returns using interest rate contracts, none of which are designated as hedging instruments.

We may enter into forward-starting interest rate swaps, which we designate as cash flow hedges, as part of any anticipated future debt issuances in order to reduce the risk of cash flow volatility from future changes in interest rates. Upon completion of a debt issuance and termination of the swap, the change in fair value of these instruments is recorded as part of other comprehensive income (loss) and is amortized to interest expense over the life of the debt agreement.

Financial instruments that potentially subject us to credit risk consist principally of trade receivables and interest-bearing investments. Wholesale distributors of life-science products account for a substantial portion of trade receivables; collateral is generally not required. The risk associated with this concentration is mitigated by our ongoing credit-review procedures and insurance. A large portion of our cash is held by a few major financial institutions. We monitor our exposures with these institutions and do not expect any of these institutions to fail to meet their obligations. Major financial institutions represent the largest component of our investments in corporate debt securities. In accordance with documented corporate policies, we monitor the amount of credit exposure to any one financial institution or corporate issuer. We are exposed to credit-related losses in the event of nonperformance by counterparties to risk-management instruments but do not expect any counterparties to fail to meet their obligations given their high credit ratings.