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Significant Accounting Policies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Significant Accounting Policies  
Significant Accounting Policies

NOTE 1. Significant Accounting Policies

 

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 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K. However, as described in Note 12, effective in the first quarter of 2014, the Company transferred a product line between divisions within different business segments and made other changes within business segments in its continuing effort to improve the alignment of its businesses around markets and customers. The Company has begun to report comparative results under the new business segment structure with the filing of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. In the second quarter of 2014, the Company plans to revise its business segment disclosures in its 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K via a Current Report on Form 8-K to reflect these realignments.

 

Foreign Currency Translation

 

Local currencies generally are considered the functional currencies outside the United States. Assets and liabilities for operations in local-currency environments are translated at month-end exchange rates of the period reported. Income and expense items are translated at month-end exchange rates of each applicable month. Cumulative translation adjustments are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in shareholders' equity.

 

Although local currencies are typically considered as the functional currencies outside the United States, under Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 830, Foreign Currency Matters, the reporting currency of a foreign entity's parent is assumed to be that entity's functional currency when the economic environment of a foreign entity is highly inflationary—generally when its cumulative inflation is approximately 100 percent or more for the three years that precede the beginning of a reporting period. 3M has a subsidiary in Venezuela with operating income representing less than 1.0 percent of 3M's consolidated operating income for 2013. 3M has determined that the cumulative inflation rate of Venezuela has exceeded, and continues to exceed, 100 percent since November 2009. Accordingly, since January 1, 2010, the financial statements of the Venezuelan subsidiary have been remeasured as if its functional currency were that of its parent.

 

The Venezuelan government sets official rates of exchange and conditions precedent to purchase foreign currency at these rates with local currency. Such rates and conditions are subject to change. For the periods presented through January 2013, this rate was set under the Transaction System for Foreign Currency Denominated Securities (SITME). In February 2013, the Venezuelan government announced a devaluation of its currency and the elimination of the SITME market. As a result, the official exchange rate controlled by the Commission for the Administration of Foreign Exchange (CADIVI) changed to a rate less favorable than the previous SITME rate.

 

In January 2014, the Venezuelan government announced that a new agency, the National Center for Foreign Commerce (CENCOEX), had assumed the previous role of CADIVI with respect to the continuation of the existing official exchange rate; significantly expanded the use of a second foreign exchange mechanism called the Complementary System for Foreign Currency Acquirement (or SICAD1); and issued exchange regulations indicating the SICAD1 rate of exchange would be used for payments related to international investments. The SICAD1 exchange mechanism, a complementary currency auction system, had previously been created for purchases of foreign currency by only certain eligible importers and tourists. The government had begun publishing the SICAD1 rate resulting from currency auctions in December 2013. In late March 2014, the Venezuelan government launched a third foreign exchange mechanism, SICAD2, which relies on U.S. dollar cash and U.S. dollar denominated bonds offered by the Venezuelan Central Bank, PDVSA (the Venezuelan national oil and gas company) and certain private companies. SICAD2 was announced as being available to all industry sectors and that its use would not be restricted as to purpose.

 

Since January 1, 2010, as discussed above, the financial statements of 3M's Venezuelan subsidiary have been remeasured as if its functional currency were that of its parent. For the periods presented, this remeasurement utilized the SITME rate through January 2013, the official CADIVI/CENCOEX rate through February 2014, and the SICAD1 rate beginning in March 2014. 3M's use of SICAD1 was based upon evaluation of a number of factors including, but not limited to, the exchange rate the Company's Venezuelan subsidiary may legally use to convert currency, settle transactions or pay dividends; the probability of accessing and obtaining currency by use of a particular rate or mechanism; and the Company's intent and ability to use a particular exchange mechanism. Other factors notwithstanding, the elimination of the SITME rate and use of the CADIVI/CENCOEX exchange rate beginning in February 2013 and use of the SICAD1 rate beginning in March 2014 did not have a material impact on 3M's consolidated results of operations or financial condition.

 

The Company continues to monitor circumstances relative to its Venezuelan subsidiary. Changes in applicable exchange rates or exchange mechanisms may continue in the future. These changes could impact the rate of exchange applicable to remeasure the Company's net monetary assets (liabilities) denominated in Venezuelan Bolivars (VEF). As of March 31, 2014, the Company had a balance of net monetary liabilities denominated in VEF of less than 135 million VEF and the SICAD1 and SICAD2 exchange rates were approximately 11 VEF and 50 VEF per U.S. dollar, respectively. Had 3M utilized the SICAD2 rate rather than the SICAD1 rate of exchange for remeasurement of such items as of March 31, 2014, the differential would not have had a material impact on 3M's consolidated results of operations or financial condition.

 

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 (2.3 million average options for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 4.1 million average options for the three months ended March 31, 2013). The computations for basic and diluted earnings per share follow:

Earnings Per Share Computations      
         
    Three months ended
    March 31,
(Amounts in millions, except per share amounts) 2014 2013
Numerator:    
 Net income attributable to 3M  $ 1,207 $ 1,129
         
Denominator:      
 Denominator for weighted average 3M common shares outstanding – basic   661.5   691.1
         
 Dilution associated with the Company’s stock-based compensation plans   13.0   11.0
         
 Denominator for weighted average 3M common shares outstanding – diluted   674.5   702.1
         
Earnings per share attributable to 3M common shareholders – basic $ 1.83 $ 1.63
Earnings per share attributable to 3M common shareholders – diluted $ 1.79 $ 1.61
         

New Accounting Pronouncements

 

In March 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2013-05, Parent's Accounting for the Cumulative Translation Adjustment upon Derecognition of Certain Subsidiaries or Groups of Assets within a Foreign Entity or of an Investment in a Foreign Entity. This standard provides additional guidance with respect to the reclassification into income of the cumulative translation adjustment (CTA) recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income associated with a foreign entity of a parent company. The ASU differentiates between transactions occurring within a foreign entity and transactions/events affecting an investment in a foreign entity. For transactions within a foreign entity, the full CTA associated with the foreign entity would be reclassified into income only when the sale of a subsidiary or group of net assets within the foreign entity represents the substantially complete liquidation of that foreign entity. For transactions/events affecting an investment in a foreign entity (for example, control or ownership of shares in a foreign entity), the full CTA associated with the foreign entity would be reclassified into income only if the parent no longer has a controlling interest in that foreign entity as a result of the transaction/event. In addition, acquisitions of a foreign entity completed in stages will trigger release of the CTA associated with an equity method investment in that entity at the point a controlling interest in the foreign entity is obtained. For 3M, this ASU was effective prospectively beginning January 1, 2014. This ASU had no immediate impact on 3M's consolidated results of operations and financial condition as the Company had no event/transaction as described above.

 

In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-08, Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity, which changes the criteria for determining which disposals can be presented as discontinued operations and modifies related disclosure requirements. This standard will have the impact of reducing the frequency of disposals reported as discontinued operations, by requiring such a disposal to represent a strategic shift that has or will have a major effect on an entity's operations and financial results. However, existing provisions that prohibit an entity from reporting a discontinued operation if it has certain continuing cash flows or involvement with the component after disposal are eliminated by this standard. The ASU also expands the disclosures for discontinued operations and requires new disclosures related to individually significant disposals that do not qualify as discontinued operations. For 3M, this ASU is effective prospectively beginning January 1, 2015. Early adoption is, however, permitted. This ASU would impact 3M's consolidated results of operations and financial condition only in the instance of a disposal as described above.