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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
9 Months Ended
Apr. 30, 2011
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

New Accounting Standards or Updates Recently Adopted

In June 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued revised guidance for the consolidation of variable interest entities. In February 2010, the FASB issued amendments to the consolidation requirements, exempting certain investment funds from the June 2009 guidance for the consolidation of variable interest entities. The June 2009 guidance for the consolidation of variable interest entities replaces the quantitative-based risks and rewards approach with a qualitative approach that focuses on identifying which enterprise has the power to direct the activities of a variable interest entity that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance and has the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the entity that could be potentially significant to the variable interest entity. The accounting guidance also requires an ongoing reassessment of whether an enterprise is the primary beneficiary and requires additional disclosures about an enterprise's involvement in variable interest entities. This accounting guidance was effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2011. The application of the revised guidance for the consolidation of variable interest entities did not have a material impact to the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements.

In June 2009, the FASB issued revised guidance for the accounting of transfers of financial assets. This guidance eliminates the concept of a qualifying special-purpose entity, removes the scope exception for qualifying special-purpose entities when applying the accounting guidance related to the consolidation of variable interest entities, changes the requirements for derecognizing financial assets, and requires enhanced disclosure. This accounting guidance was effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2011. The application of the revised guidance for the accounting of transfers of financial assets did not have a material impact to the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements.

In July 2010, the FASB issued an accounting standard update to provide guidance to enhance disclosure related to the credit quality of a company's financing receivables portfolio and the associated allowance for credit loss. Pursuant to this accounting update, a company is required to provide a greater level of disaggregated information about its financing receivables portfolio and its allowance for credit loss with the objective of facilitating users' evaluation of the nature of credit risk inherent in the company's portfolio of financing receivables, how that risk is analyzed and assessed in arriving at the allowance for credit loss, and the changes and reasons for those changes in the allowance for credit loss. Effective in the second quarter of fiscal 2011, the Company has included in Note 7 the expanded disclosure related to both the period end balances and activities during the reporting period as well as the related accounting policies.