RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS	9 Months Ended
Apr. 30, 2018
RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS	(4) RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. This ASU is based on the principle that revenue is recognized to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The ASU also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract. The standard allows two methods of adoption: (i) retrospectively to each prior period presented (“full retrospective method”), or (ii) retrospectively with the cumulative effect recognized in retained earnings as of the date of adoption (“modified retrospective method”). The Company will adopt the new standard using the modified retrospective method at the beginning of its first quarter of fiscal 2019. The Company and its outside consultants have initiated the process of evaluating the potential effects on the consolidated financial statements and establishing new accounting policies and internal controls necessary to support the requirements of the new standard. This preliminary assessment is based on the types and number of revenue arrangements currently in place. The exact impact of the new standard will be dependent on facts and circumstances at adoption. The Company does not expect the new standard to have a material impact on its revenue recognition practices on an ongoing basis. Revenue from the sale of physical and digital supply chain management services to the Company’s clients will continue to be recognized over time as the services are performed. The new standard will primarily impact the Company’s revenue recognition with respect to certain transactions involving the sale of software products by the ModusLink’s e-Business operations and IWCO’s marketing solutions offerings. Currently, revenue from the sale of perpetual licenses sold in multiple element arrangements is recognized ratably over the initial maintenance term, due to lack of Vendor Specific Objective Evidence (VSOE) for certain undelivered elements. The new standard will accelerate the recognition of revenue from the sale of perpetual licenses as the Company will allocate consideration between each performance obligation based on each item’s relative standalone selling price. Revenue recognized related to IWCO’s marketing solutions offerings, which typically consist of a single combined performance obligation, will be recognized over time as the services are performed, rather than the current practice of recognizing revenue at a point in time when the services are complete. However, given the typical contract terms, the Company does not expect this change to be material. In addition, the new standard will require incremental contract acquisition costs (such as certain sales commissions) for customer contracts to be capitalized and amortized over the period of contract performance or expected client program life, if renewals are expected and the renewal commission is not commensurate with the initial commission. Currently, these costs are expensed as incurred. The Company has identified certain commissions programs where it expects that incremental costs will be capitalized and recognized over a period of greater than one year. The Company will be required to record cumulative effect adjustments to retained earnings (net of tax) upon adopting the new standard as of the fiscal year commencing August 1, 2018. The most significant of these adjustments will be to establish an asset and increase retained earnings related to the requirement to capitalize incremental contract acquisition costs for customer contracts. An adjustment will also be recorded to reduce deferred revenue and increase retained earnings at the date of adoption to reflect revenue that would have been already recognized under the new standard related to an existing software arrangements where the pattern and timing of revenue recognition will change, as well as creating a contract asset for unbilled revenue for services that are being performed over time, but where the customer is not billed until completion of the work. The Company expects to complete its assessment during the final quarter of fiscal year 2019. In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15 Presentation of Financial Statements—Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40), which amends the accounting guidance related to the evaluation of an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. The amendment establishes management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern in connection with preparing financial statements for each annual and interim reporting period. The update also gives guidance to determine whether to disclose information about relevant conditions and events when there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. The Company adopted this guidance as of the first quarter of fiscal year 2018. Its adoption did not have an effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory (Topic 330), which provides guidance related to inventory measurement. The new standard requires entities to measure inventory at the lower of cost and net realizable value thereby simplifying the current guidance under which an entity must measure inventory at the lower of cost or market. The Company adopted this guidance beginning the first quarter of fiscal year 2018. The adoption of the guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17, Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes, which requires companies to classify all deferred tax assets and liabilities as noncurrent on the balance sheet instead of separating deferred taxes into current and noncurrent amounts. This guidance allowed for adoption on either a prospective or retrospective basis. The Company had elected to early adopt this guidance in fiscal year 2017 on a prospective basis and, as a result, prior consolidated balance sheets were not retrospectively adjusted. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases, which requires lessees to put most leases on their balance sheets but recognize expenses on their income statements in a manner similar to today’s accounting. This ASU will be effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. The Company is currently evaluating the effect the guidance will have on the Company’s financial statement disclosures, results of operations and financial position. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net). The amendments in this update relate to when another party, along with the Company, are involved in providing a good or service to a customer and are intended to improve the operability and understandability of the implementation guidance on principal versus agent. Revenue recognition guidance requires companies to determine whether the nature of its promise is to provide that good or service to the customer (i.e., the Company is a principal) or to arrange for the good or service to be provided to the customer by the other party (i.e., the Company is an agent). This ASU will be effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019. The Company and its outside consultants have initiated the process of evaluating the potential effects on the consolidated financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. Several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment award transactions are simplified, including: (a) income tax consequences; (b) classification of awards as either equity or liabilities; and (c) classification on the statement of cash flows. The Company retrospectively adopted this guidance during the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 by utilizing the modified retrospective transition method. The adoption of this ASU did not materially impact the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Restricted Cash. When cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents are presented in more than one line item on the balance sheet, the new guidance requires a reconciliation of the totals in the statement of cash flows to the related captions in the balance sheet. Entities will also have to disclose the nature of their restricted cash and restricted cash equivalent balances, which is similar to what is required today for SEC Registrants. This ASU will be effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019. The Company is currently in the process of assessing what impact this new standard may have on its consolidated financial statements but does not believe that implementing this standard will have a significant impact on the Company’s current presentation and disclosures. In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-07, Compensation—Retirement Benefits (Topic 715), which requires that the service cost component of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit cost be presented in the same line item as other employee compensation costs, while the other components be presented separately as non-operating income (expense). This ASU will be effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019. The Company is currently in the process of assessing what impact this new standard may have on its consolidated financial statements.

(4) RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. This ASU is based on the principle that revenue is recognized to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The ASU also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract.

The standard allows two methods of adoption: (i) retrospectively to each prior period presented (“full retrospective method”), or (ii) retrospectively with the cumulative effect recognized in retained earnings as of the date of adoption (“modified retrospective method”). The Company will adopt the new standard using the modified retrospective method at the beginning of its first quarter of fiscal 2019.

The Company and its outside consultants have initiated the process of evaluating the potential effects on the consolidated financial statements and establishing new accounting policies and internal controls necessary to support the requirements of the new standard. This preliminary assessment is based on the types and number of revenue arrangements currently in place. The exact impact of the new standard will be dependent on facts and circumstances at adoption.

The Company does not expect the new standard to have a material impact on its revenue recognition practices on an ongoing basis. Revenue from the sale of physical and digital supply chain management services to the Company’s clients will continue to be recognized over time as the services are performed. The new standard will primarily impact the Company’s revenue recognition with respect to certain transactions involving the sale of software products by the ModusLink’s e-Business operations and IWCO’s marketing solutions offerings. Currently, revenue from the sale of perpetual licenses sold in multiple element arrangements is recognized ratably over the initial maintenance term, due to lack of Vendor Specific Objective Evidence (VSOE) for certain undelivered elements. The new standard will accelerate the recognition of revenue from the sale of perpetual licenses as the Company will allocate consideration between each performance obligation based on each item’s relative standalone selling price. Revenue recognized related to IWCO’s marketing solutions offerings, which typically consist of a single combined performance obligation, will be recognized over time as the services are performed, rather than the current practice of recognizing revenue at a point in time when the services are complete. However, given the typical contract terms, the Company does not expect this change to be material.

In addition, the new standard will require incremental contract acquisition costs (such as certain sales commissions) for customer contracts to be capitalized and amortized over the period of contract performance or expected client program life, if renewals are expected and the renewal commission is not commensurate with the initial commission. Currently, these costs are expensed as incurred. The Company has identified certain commissions programs where it expects that incremental costs will be capitalized and recognized over a period of greater than one year.

The Company will be required to record cumulative effect adjustments to retained earnings (net of tax) upon adopting the new standard as of the fiscal year commencing August 1, 2018. The most significant of these adjustments will be to establish an asset and increase retained earnings related to the requirement to capitalize incremental contract acquisition costs for customer contracts. An adjustment will also be recorded to reduce deferred revenue and increase retained earnings at the date of adoption to reflect revenue that would have been already recognized under the new standard related to an existing software arrangements where the pattern and timing of revenue recognition will change, as well as creating a contract asset for unbilled revenue for services that are being performed over time, but where the customer is not billed until completion of the work. The Company expects to complete its assessment during the final quarter of fiscal year 2019.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15 Presentation of Financial Statements—Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40), which amends the accounting guidance related to the evaluation of an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. The amendment establishes management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern in connection with preparing financial statements for each annual and interim reporting period. The update also gives guidance to determine whether to disclose information about relevant conditions and events when there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. The Company adopted this guidance as of the first quarter of fiscal year 2018. Its adoption did not have an effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory (Topic 330), which provides guidance related to inventory measurement. The new standard requires entities to measure inventory at the lower of cost and net realizable value thereby simplifying the current guidance under which an entity must measure inventory at the lower of cost or market. The Company adopted this guidance beginning the first quarter of fiscal year 2018. The adoption of the guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17, Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes, which requires companies to classify all deferred tax assets and liabilities as noncurrent on the balance sheet instead of separating deferred taxes into current and noncurrent amounts. This guidance allowed for adoption on either a prospective or retrospective basis. The Company had elected to early adopt this guidance in fiscal year 2017 on a prospective basis and, as a result, prior consolidated balance sheets were not retrospectively adjusted.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases, which requires lessees to put most leases on their balance sheets but recognize expenses on their income statements in a manner similar to today’s accounting. This ASU will be effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. The Company is currently evaluating the effect the guidance will have on the Company’s financial statement disclosures, results of operations and financial position.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net). The amendments in this update relate to when another party, along with the Company, are involved in providing a good or service to a customer and are intended to improve the operability and understandability of the implementation guidance on principal versus agent. Revenue recognition guidance requires companies to determine whether the nature of its promise is to provide that good or service to the customer (i.e., the Company is a principal) or to arrange for the good or service to be provided to the customer by the other party (i.e., the Company is an agent). This ASU will be effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019. The Company and its outside consultants have initiated the process of evaluating the potential effects on the consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. Several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment award transactions are simplified, including: (a) income tax consequences; (b) classification of awards as either equity or liabilities; and (c) classification on the statement of cash flows. The Company retrospectively adopted this guidance during the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 by utilizing the modified retrospective transition method. The adoption of this ASU did not materially impact the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Restricted Cash. When cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents are presented in more than one line item on the balance sheet, the new guidance requires a reconciliation of the totals in the statement of cash flows to the related captions in the balance sheet. Entities will also have to disclose the nature of their restricted cash and restricted cash equivalent balances, which is similar to what is required today for SEC Registrants. This ASU will be effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019. The Company is currently in the process of assessing what impact this new standard may have on its consolidated financial statements but does not believe that implementing this standard will have a significant impact on the Company’s current presentation and disclosures.

In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-07, Compensation—Retirement Benefits (Topic 715), which requires that the service cost component of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit cost be presented in the same line item as other employee compensation costs, while the other components be presented separately as non-operating income (expense). This ASU will be effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019. The Company is currently in the process of assessing what impact this new standard may have on its consolidated financial statements.