Basis of Presentation

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Basis of Presentation [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

1.   The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared by PAR Technology Corporation (the "Company" or "PAR") in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial statements and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Regulation S-X pertaining to interim financial statements.  Accordingly, these interim financial statements do not include all information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements.  In the opinion of the Company, such unaudited statements include all adjustments (which comprise only normal recurring accruals) necessary for a fair presentation of the results for such periods.  The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for any future period.  The consolidated financial statements and notes thereto should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes for the year ended December 31, 2010  included in the Company's December 31, 2010 Annual Report to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form 10-K.

The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires management of the Company to make a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the period.  Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include:  the carrying amount of property, plant and equipment, identifiable intangible assets and goodwill, equity based compensation, and valuation allowances for receivables, inventories and deferred income taxes.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.

The current economic conditions and the continued volatility in the financial markets, both in the U.S and in many other countries where the Company operates, have contributed and may continue to contribute to higher unemployment levels, decreased consumer spending, reduced credit availability and/or declining business and consumer confidence. Such conditions could have an impact on consumer purchases and/or retail customer purchases, which in turn could impact the buying conditions of the Company's customers resulting in a reduction of sales, operating income and cash flows. This could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and/or results of operations, which could have a material adverse impact on the Company's significant estimates, specifically the fair value of its reporting units used in support of its annual goodwill impairment test.  Additionally, disruptions in the credit and other financial markets and economic conditions could, among other things, impair the financial condition of one or more of the Company's customers or suppliers, thereby increasing the risk of customer bad debts or non-performance by suppliers.

Certain amounts for prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current period classification.