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Recent Accounting Pronouncements
9 Months Ended
Jul. 31, 2018
Recent Accounting Pronouncements [Abstract]  
Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Note 2.  Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Guidance Not Yet Effective

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606).” This ASU provides for five principles which should be followed to determine the appropriate amount and timing of revenue recognition for the transfer of goods and services to customers. The principles in this ASU should be applied to all contracts with customers regardless of industry. The amendments in this ASU were initially effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2016, with two transition methods of adoption allowed. Early adoption for reporting periods prior to December 15, 2016 is not permitted. In March 2015, the FASB voted to defer the effective date by one year to fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 (which, for the Company, will be the first quarter of fiscal year 2019), but allow adoption as of the original effective date.  The Company has numerous different revenue sources including the sale and installation of fuel cell power plants, site engineering and construction services, sale of modules and spare parts, extended warranty service agreements, sale of electricity under power purchase agreements, license fees and royalty income from manufacturing and technology transfer agreements and customer-sponsored Advanced Technologies projects.  This requires application of various revenue recognition methods under current accounting guidance.  Although we anticipate that upon adoption of this new ASU the timing of revenue recognition for certain of our revenue sources might change, we are still evaluating the financial statement impacts of the guidance in this ASU.  The Company has decided to use the modified retrospective transition method. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-12, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606).”  This ASU provides narrow-scope improvements and practical expedients regarding collectability, presentation of sales tax collected from customers, non-cash consideration, contract modifications at transition, completed contracts at transition and other technical corrections.  We are in the process of reviewing the contracts for our significant revenue streams to determine the impact of the adoption of this ASU.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases” which, for operating leases, requires a lessee to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability, initially measured at the present value of the lease payments, in its balance sheet. The standard also requires a lessee to recognize a single lease cost, calculated so that the cost of the lease is allocated over the lease term, generally on a straight-line basis. This ASU is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years (which, for the Company, will be the first quarter of fiscal year 2020). Early adoption is permitted. The Company has both operating and capital leases (refer to Note 18. “Commitments and Contingencies”) as well as sale-leasebacks accounted for under the finance method and may have other arrangements that contain embedded leases as characterized in this ASU.  We expect that adoption of this ASU will result in the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities not currently recorded in our consolidated financial statements under existing accounting guidance. However, we are still evaluating all of the Company’s contractual arrangements and the impact that adoption of ASU 2016-02 will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.