Acquisitions and Dispositions (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Acquisitions and Dispositions Disclosure

Business Combinations Policy [Policy Text Block]

The company's acquisitions have historically been made at prices above the fair value of the acquired identifiable assets, resulting in goodwill, due to expectations of the synergies that will be realized by combining the businesses. These synergies include the elimination of redundant facilities, functions and staffing; use of the company's existing commercial infrastructure to expand sales of the acquired businesses' products; and use of the commercial infrastructure of the acquired businesses to cost-effectively expand sales of company products.

       Acquisitions have been accounted for using the purchase method of accounting, and the acquired companies' results have been included in the accompanying financial statements from their respective dates of acquisition. Acquisition transaction costs are recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses. The net assets acquired have been recorded based on estimates of fair value and, for acquisitions completed within the past year, are subject to adjustment upon finalization of the valuation process. The company is not aware of any information that indicates the final valuations will differ materially from the preliminary estimates.