Fair Value Measurements

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Fair Value Measurements [Abstract]

Fair Value Measurements

NOTE 3:  Fair Value Measurements

Financial Assets and Liabilities that are Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

The following table summarizes the financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2011:

	Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Assets:
Money market instruments	$	1,699	$	-
Municipal bonds		-		123,716
Corporate bonds		-		115,472
Agency bonds		-		39,880
Sovereign bonds		-		26,371
Covered bonds		-		6,020
Treasury bills		-		1,945
Currency forward contracts		14		-
Liabilities:
Currency forward contracts		165		-

The Company’s money market instruments are reported at fair value based upon the daily market price for identical assets in active markets, and are therefore classified as Level 1 investments. The Company’s currency forward contracts are reported at fair value based upon quoted U.S. Dollar foreign currency exchange rates, and are therefore also classified as Level 1 investments.

The Company’s debt securities are reported at fair value based upon model-driven valuations in which all significant inputs are observable or can be derived from or corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the asset, and are therefore classified as Level 2 investments. Management is responsible for estimating the fair value of these investments, and in doing so, considers valuations provided by a large, third-party pricing service. This service maintains regular contact with market makers, brokers, dealers, and analysts to gather information on market movement, direction, trends, and other specific data. They use this information to structure yield curves for various types of debt securities and arrive at the daily valuations.

The Company did not record an other-than-temporary impairment of these investments in 2011, 2010, or 2009.

Financial Assets that are Measured at Fair Value on a Non-recurring Basis

The Company has an interest in a limited partnership, which is accounted for using the cost method and is measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis. Management is responsible for estimating the fair value of this investment, and in doing so, considers the valuations of the partnership’s investments as determined by the General Partner. Publicly-traded investments in active markets are reported at the market closing price less a discount, as appropriate, to reflect restricted marketability. Fair value for private investments for which observable market prices in active markets do not exist is based upon the best information available including the value of a recent financing, reference to observable valuation measures for comparable companies (such as revenue multiples), public or private transactions (such as the sale of a comparable company), and valuations for publicly-traded comparable companies. The valuations also incorporate the General Partner’s own judgment and close familiarity with the business activities of each portfolio company. The portfolio consists of securities of public and private companies, and consequently, inputs used in the fair value calculation are classified as Level 3. The Company did not record an other-than-temporary impairment of this investment in 2011, 2010, or 2009.

Non-financial Assets that are Measured at Fair Value on a Non-recurring Basis

Non-financial assets such as goodwill, intangible assets, and property, plant, and equipment are measured at fair value only when an impairment loss is recognized. The Company did not record an impairment charge related to these assets in 2011 or 2010; however, an intangible asset impairment charge of $1,000,000 was recorded in 2009.

In the first quarter of 2009, the Company determined that the intangible asset related to Siemens Customer Relationships was impaired, which required the Company to measure the asset at fair value. The Company estimated the fair value of this asset using the income approach on a discounted cash flow basis. The fair value test indicated the Siemens Customer Relationships had a fair value of $300,000 as of April 5, 2009 compared to a carrying value of $1,300,000, resulting in an impairment charge of $1,000,000. The following table presents the Company’s fair value hierarchy for the Siemens Customer Relationships as of April 5, 2009, which was the date of the fair value measurement (in thousands):

	Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)		Total		Total Loss
Siemens Customer Relationships	$	300	$	300	$	(1,000	)

The significant inputs in the discounted cash flow analysis included an estimate of revenue streams from the customers obtained in the acquisition and estimates of expenses attributable to the revenue stream. The estimate of revenue streams from the customers obtained in the acquisition was based upon actual revenue streams from these customers in the first quarter of 2009, as well as input from the Company’s sales and marketing personnel who interact with these customers. Estimates of expenses attributable to the revenue stream were based upon the Company’s historical expense levels. The discount rate used in the discounted cash flow analysis was not a significant input to the analysis due to the short time frame of the revenue stream.