Special Charges—The following is a summary of the components of the special charges:



	Three months ended October 31,					Nine months ended October 31,
	2012		2011			2012		2011
Employee severance and related costs	$	612	$	1,227		$	2,629	$	3,581
Other costs	534		(63		)	1,171		3,807
Total special charges	$	1,146	$	1,164		$	3,800	$	7,388

Special charges primarily consist of costs incurred for employee terminations due to a reduction of personnel resources driven by modifications of business strategy or business emphasis. Employee severance and related costs include severance benefits, notice pay, and outplacement services. These rebalance charges generally represent the aggregate of numerous unrelated rebalance plans which impact several employee groups, none of which is individually material to our financial position or results of operations. We determine termination benefit amounts based on employee status, years of service, and local statutory requirements. We communicate termination benefits to the affected employees prior to the end of the quarter in which we record the charge. Special charges may also include expenses incurred related to acquisitions, excess facility costs, and asset related charges.

Approximately 61% of the employee severance and related costs for the nine months ended October 31, 2012 were paid during the period. We expect to pay the remainder during the fiscal year ending January 31, 2013.

Substantially all of the employee severance and related costs for the nine months ended October 31, 2011 were paid during the fiscal year ending January 31, 2012. There have been no significant modifications to the amount of these charges.

Other special charges for the nine months ended October 31, 2011 included costs of $3,967 related to consulting fees associated with our fiscal 2012 proxy contest.

Accrued special charges are included in accrued and other liabilities and other long-term liabilities in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The following table shows changes in accrued special charges during the nine months ended October 31, 2012:



	Accrued special charges as of		Charges during the nine months ended		Payments during the nine months ended			Accrued special charges as of
	January 31, 2012		October 31, 2012		October 31, 2012			October 31, 2012		(1	)
Employee severance and related costs	$	3,668	$	2,629	$	(4,700	)	$	1,597
Other costs	2,811		1,171		(824		)	3,158
Total accrued special charges	$	6,479	$	3,800	$	(5,524	)	$	4,755


⁽¹⁾	Of the $4,755 total accrued special charges as of October 31, 2012, $2,299 represented the long-term portion, which primarily included accrued lease termination fees and other facility costs, net of sublease income and other long-term costs. The remaining balance of $2,456 represented the short-term portion of accrued special charges.