Note 9 - Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

9 Months Ended

Aug. 31, 2011

Schedule of New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Table Text Block]

(9) Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Fair Value Measurements

In September 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued a statement that defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles, and expands disclosure about fair value measurements.  The statement does not require any new fair value measurements, but for some entities, the application of the statement will change current practice.  This statement was adopted by the Company without a material impact on the financial statements.  In January 2010, the FASB issued an update to amend existing disclosure requirements.  The update requires new disclosures for significant transfers between Levels 1 and 2 in the fair value hierarchy and separate disclosures for purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements in the reconciliation of activity for Level 3 fair value measurements.  This update also clarifies the existing fair value disclosures regarding the level of disaggregation and the valuation techniques and inputs used to measure fair value.  The update is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2009, except for the disclosures on purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements in the roll forward of activity for Level 3 fair value measurements.  Those disclosures are effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2010.  The Company has determined that there was no significant impact to the financial statements as a result of the adoption of these standards.

Goodwill Impairment Testing

In December 2010, the FASB issued standards on testing goodwill and other intangible assets impairment which is a two-step test. When a goodwill impairment test is performed (either on an annual or interim basis), an entity must assess whether the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value (Step 1). If it does, an entity must perform an additional test to determine whether goodwill has been impaired and to calculate the amount of that impairment (Step 2). The objective of this Update is to address questions about entities with reporting units with zero or negative carrying amounts because some entities concluded that Step 1 of the test is passed in those circumstances because the fair value of their reporting unit will generally be greater than zero.  The amendment will affect all entities that have recognized goodwill and have one or more reporting units whose carrying amount for purposes of performing Step 1 of the goodwill impairment test is zero or negative.  The amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2010, with no early adoption permitted.  The Company has a year end of November 30th and this standard is not yet adopted.  We do not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In September 2011, the FASB issued standards to address concerns about the cost and complexity of performing the first step of the two-step goodwill impairment test required under Topic 350, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other. The objective of this Update is to simplify how entities, both public and nonpublic, test goodwill for impairment. The amendments in the Update permit an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test described in Topic 350. The more-likely-than-not threshold is defined as having a likelihood of more than 50 percent. Under the amendments in this Update, an entity is not required to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit unless the entity determines that it is more likely than not that its fair value is less than its carrying amount. We do not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Disclosure of Supplementary Pro Forma Information for Business Combinations

In December 2010, the FASB issued standards which state that if a public entity presents comparative financial statements, the entity should disclose revenue and earnings of the combined entity as though the business combination(s) that occurred during the current year had occurred as of the beginning of the comparable prior annual reporting period.  The amendments in this Update clarify the acquisition date that should be used for reporting the pro forma financial information disclosures when comparative financial statements are presented. The amendments also improve the usefulness of the pro forma revenue and earnings disclosures by requiring a description of the nature and amount of material, nonrecurring pro forma adjustments that are directly attributable to the business combination(s).  The amendments in this Update are effective prospectively for business combinations for which the acquisition date is on or after the beginning of the first annual reporting period beginning on or after December 15, 2010.  The Company has a year end of November 30th and this standard is not yet adopted.  We do not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Fair Value Measurement Update

In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-04, “Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs” that amends the wording used to describe many of the requirements in U.S. GAAP for measuring fair value and disclosing information about fair value measurements. The amendments in this update achieve the objective of developing common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements, as well as improving consistency and understandability. Some of the requirements clarify the FASB’s intent about the application of existing fair value measurement requirements while other amendments change a particular principle or requirement for measuring fair value or for disclosing information about fair value measurements. The amendments in this ASU are effective prospectively for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011, with no early adoption permitted. We do not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Comprehensive Income

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU NO. 2011-05, “Presentation of Comprehensive Income” that improves the comparability, consistency, and transparency of financial reporting and increases the prominence of items reported in other comprehensive income by eliminating the option to present components of other comprehensive income as part of the statements of changes in stockholders’ equity. The amendments in this standard require that all non-owner changes in stockholders’ equity be presented either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. Under either method, adjustments must be displayed for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income (“OCI”) to net income, in both net income and OCI. The standard does not change the current option for presenting components of OCI gross or net of the effect of income taxes, provided that such tax effects are presented in the statement in which OCI is presented or disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. Additionally, the standard does not affect the calculation or reporting of earnings per share. For public entities, the amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011 and are to be applied retrospectively, with early adoption permitted. We do not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.