Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

The interim consolidated financial statements are unaudited but, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. These adjustments consist of normal, recurring items. The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year. The interim consolidated financial statements and notes are presented as permitted by the requirements for Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements and notes included in its 2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Effective with 3M’s second-quarter 2011 Form 10-Q, the Company revised the amounts previously presented for cash used in investing activities and cash used in financing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2011 by $33 million. This related to purchases of additional shares (noncontrolling interest) of non-wholly owned consolidated subsidiaries. These immaterial revisions increased cash used in financing activities and decreased cash used in investing activities.

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share

The difference in the weighted average 3M shares outstanding for calculating basic and diluted earnings per share attributable to 3M common shareholders is a result of the dilution associated with the Company’s stock-based compensation plans. Certain options outstanding under these stock-based compensation plans were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share attributable to 3M common shareholders because they would not have had a dilutive effect (19.2 million average options for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 3.6 million average options for the three months ended March 31, 2011). The computations for basic and diluted earnings per share follow: