Fair Value Measurements

9 Months Ended

Jul. 31, 2011

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements

Note 11. Fair Value Measurements

As of July 31, 2011 and October 31, 2010, the carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other current assets, lines of credit, accounts payable and other current liabilities approximates fair value due to the short-term nature of such instruments and the ability to obtain financing on similar terms.

ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (ASC 820), applies to all assets and liabilities that are being measured and reported at fair value and defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. An asset's or liability's level is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. ASC 820 requires that assets and liabilities carried at fair value be valued and disclosed in one of the following three levels of the valuation hierarchy:

Level 1: Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Observable market-based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs reflecting the reporting entity's own assumptions.

The Company has derivative assets and liabilities that include interest rate swaps, cross currency swaps and foreign currency forward contracts. The impact of the counterparty's creditworthiness when in an asset position and the Company's creditworthiness when in a liability position has also been factored into the fair value measurement of the derivative instruments. Both the counterparty and the Company are expected to continue to perform under the contractual terms of the instruments.

We may use interest rate swaps to maintain our desired mix of fixed-rate and variable-rate debt. The swaps exchange fixed and variable rate payments without exchanging the notional principal amount of the debt. The Company has elected to use the income approach to value the derivatives using observable Level 2 market expectations at the measurement date and standard valuation techniques to convert future amounts to a single present amount assuming that participants are motivated, but not compelled to transact. Level 2 inputs are limited to quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, specifically euro dollar futures contracts up to three years, and inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability - specifically LIBOR cash and swap rates and credit risk at commonly quoted intervals. Mid-market pricing is used as a practical expedient for fair value measurements.

We may use foreign exchange forward contracts to minimize, to the extent reasonable and practical, our exposure to the impact of foreign currency fluctuations. The Company has elected to use the income approach to value the derivatives, using observable Level 2 market expectations at the measurement date and standard valuation techniques to convert future amounts to a single present amount assuming that participants are motivated but not compelled to transact. Level 2 inputs for the valuations are limited to quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets and inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability - specifically LIBOR cash rates, credit risk at commonly quoted intervals, foreign exchange spot rates and forward points. Mid-market pricing is used as a practical expedient for fair value measurements.

The following table sets forth the Company's financial assets and liabilities that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis using Level 2 inputs during the fiscal first nine months of 2011, within the fair value hierarchy at July 31, 2011, and fiscal year 2010, within the fair value hierarchy at October 31, 2010:

(In millions)	July 31, 2011		October 31, 2010
Assets:
Foreign exchange contracts	$	0.9	$	1.2
Liabilities:
Interest rate swaps	$	4.1	$	1.3
Foreign exchange contracts		0.6		1.4
	$	4.7	$	2.7