2.2.0.7 false Accounting Changes 00920 - Disclosure - Accounting Changes true false false false 1 USD false false Monetary Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 EarninsPerShareUSD Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 Shares Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 $ 2 Accounting Changes Abstract 0 au_AccountingChangesAbstract au false na duration No definition available. false false false false false true false false false false false false 1 false false false false 0 0 false false false xbrli:stringItemType string No definition available. false 3 Accounting Changes 1 us-gaap_AccountingChangesAndErrorCorrectionsTextBlock us-gaap true na duration No definition available. false false false false false false false false false false false terselabel false 1 false false false false 0 0 Decreases in ownership of a subsidiaryIn January 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") updated the Accounting Standards Codification ("the Codification" or "ASC") guidance for decreases in ownership of a subsidiary to include additional disclosures required upon deconsolidation of a subsidiary. The amendments are effective beginning in the first interim or annual reporting period ending on or after December 15, 2009 and should be applied retrospectively to the first period in which the guidance on noncontrolling interests is adopted. The adoption had no impact on the Company's financial statements.The accounting standards codificationIn June 2009, the FASB established the accounting standards codification to become the source of authoritative U.S. GAAP. The codification will supersede all non-SEC accounting and reporting standards. It is effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. The adoption had no impact on the Company's financial statements, other than the references to authoritative U.S. GAAP.Subsequent eventsIn May 2009, the FASB updated the ASC guidance for subsequent events to establish general standards of accounting for, and disclosure of, events that occur after the balance sheet date but before financial statements are issued or are available to be issued. In February 2010, the FASB amended the ASC guidance for subsequent events. As a result, SEC registrants will not disclose the date through which management evaluated subsequent events in the financial statements. This change for SEC registrants is effective immediately. The adoption had no impact on the Company's financial statements.Recognition and presentation of other-than-temporary impairmentsIn April 2009, the FASB updated the ASC guidance for recognition and presentation of other-than-temporary impairments which: (i) clarifies the factors that should be considered when determining whether a debt security is other than temporarily impaired, (ii) provides guidance on the amount recognized of an other-than-temporary impairment and (iii) expands the disclosures required. It is effective for interim and annual reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009. See Note 16 for additional information.Interim disclosures about fair value of financial instrumentsIn April 2009, the FASB updated the ASC guidance for interim disclosures about fair value of financial instruments which requires disclosures about fair value of financial instruments for interim reporting periods as well as in annual financial statements. It is effective for interim reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009. Except for presentation changes, the adoption had no impact on the Company's financial statements.Assets and liabilities from contingencies in business combinationsIn April 2009, the FASB updated the ASC guidance for accounting for assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination that arise from contingencies. The guidance addresses issues raised on initial recognition and measurement, subsequent measurement and accounting and disclosure of assets and liabilities arising from contingencies in a business combination. It is effective for assets or liabilities arising from contingencies in business combinations for which the acquisition date is on or after January 1, 2009. The Company adopted the provisions to be applied to all future business combinations.Equity method investmentIn November 2008, The Emerging Issues Task Force ("EITF") reached consensus on equity method investment accounting considerations, which clarifies the accounting for certain transactions and impairment considerations involving equity method investments. It provides guidance on (i) determining the initial carrying value of an equity method investment, (ii) performing an impairment assessment of an underlying indefinite-lived intangible asset of an equity method investment, (iii) accounting for an equity method investee's issuance of shares, and (iv) accounting for a change in an investment from the equity method to the cost method. It is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning January 1, 2009 and has been applied prospectively. The adoption had no impact on the Company's financial statements.Instrument indexed to own stockIn June 2008, the EITF reached a consensus on determining whether an instrument (or an embedded feature) is indexed to an entity's own stock. The consensus was reached on the following three issues:<ul><li style="margin-left:59.55px;list-style:disc;">How an entity should evaluate whether an instrument (or embedded feature) is indexed to its own stock.</li><li style="margin-left:59.55px;list-style:disc;">How the currency in which the strike price of an equity-linked financial instrument is denominated affects the determination of whether the instrument is indexed to an entity's own stock.</li><li style="margin-left:59.55px;list-style:disc;">How an issuer should account for market-based employee stock option valuation instruments.</li></ul>It is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning January 1, 2009. The adoption had no impact on the Company's financial statements.Participating securitiesIn June 2008, the FASB updated the ASC guidance for determining whether instruments granted in share-based payment transactions are participating securities, which addresses whether instruments granted in share-based payment transactions are participating securities prior to vesting and, therefore, need to be included in the earnings allocation in computing earnings per share under the two-class method. Under the guidance unvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents (whether paid or unpaid) are participating securities and shall be included in the computation of earnings per share pursuant to the two-class method. It is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning January 1, 2009. The adoption of had no impact on the Company's financial statements.Convertible debt instrumentsIn May 2008, the FASB updated the ASC guidance for accounting for convertible debt instruments that may be settled in cash upon conversion (including partial cash settlement), which addresses the accounting for convertible debt securities that may be settled in cash (or other assets) upon conversion, including partial cash settlement, unless the embedded conversion option is required to be separately accounted for as a derivative. It is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning January 1, 2009. The adoption had no impact on the Company's financial statements.Useful life of intangible assetsIn April 2008, the FASB updated the ASC guidance for determination of the useful life of intangible assets. The guidance amends the factors that should be considered in developing renewal or extension assumptions used to determine the useful life of a recognized intangible asset and remove the requirement to consider whether an intangible asset can be renewed without substantial cost or material modifications to the existing terms and conditions. Instead, it requires an entity to consider its own historical experience in renewing similar arrangements. It is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning January 1, 2009 and has been applied prospectively to intangible assets acquired after the effective date. The adoption had no impact on the Company's financial statements.Derivative instrumentsIn March 2008, the FASB updated the ASC guidance for disclosures about derivative instruments and hedging activities. The guidance requires entities to provide enhanced disclosures about (i) how and why an entity uses derivative instruments, (ii) how derivative instruments and related hedged items are accounted for, and (iii) how derivative instruments and related hedged items affect an entity's financial position, results of operations and cash flows. The Company adopted these provisions on January 1, 2009. Except for presentation changes, the adoption had no impact on the Company's financial statements. See Note 25 for additional information.Noncontrolling interestsIn December 2007, the FASB updated the ASC guidance for noncontrolling interests in consolidated financial statements to establish accounting and reporting standards for the noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary and for the deconsolidation of a subsidiary. The guidance clarifies that a noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary is an ownership interest in the consolidated entity that should be reported as equity in the consolidated financial statements. The Company adopted the provisions on January 1, 2009. Except for presentation changes, the adoption had no impact on the Company's financial statements.Business combinationsIn December 2007, the FASB updated the ASC guidance for business combinations, which requires the acquiring entity in a business combination to recognize all the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the transaction; establishes the acquisition-date fair value as the measurement objective for all assets acquired and liabilities assumed; and requires the acquirer to disclose information on the nature and financial effect of the business combination. The Company adopted the provisions on January 1, 2009 to be applied to all future business combinations.Post-retirement benefit plan assetsIn December 2008, the FASB updated the ASC guidance for employers' disclosures about post-retirement benefit plan assets, which provides guidance on an employer's disclosures about plan assets of a defined benefit pension or other post-retirement plan. It requires more detailed disclosures about employers' plan assets, including employers' investment strategies, major categories of plan assets, concentrations of risk within plan assets and valuation techniques used to measure the fair value of plan assets. The Company early adopted the provisions as of December 31, 2008. The adoption did not have a material impact on the Company's financial statements.Disclosures about credit derivatives and certain guaranteesIn September 2008, the FASB updated the ASC guidance for disclosures about credit derivatives and certain guarantees, which requires disclosures by sellers of credit derivatives, including credit derivatives embedded in a hybrid instrument to provide certain disclosures for each credit derivative for each statement of financial position presented. It also requires an additional disclosure about the current status of the payment/performance risk of a guarantee. The Company does not have any credit derivatives. The Company adopted the disclosure requirements with regards to guarantees as of December 31, 2008.Employee benefit plansIn September 2006, the FASB updated the ASC guidance for employers' accounting for defined benefit pension and other post-retirement plans. The adoption of its requirement to measure the plan assets and benefit obligations as of December 31, 2008 did not have a material impact on the Company's financial statements.Fair value measurementsThe Company adopted the FASB ASC guidance for fair value measurements for financial assets and financial liabilities on January 1, 2008.It provided enhanced guidance for using fair value to measure assets and liabilities. Fair value refers to the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants in the market in which the reporting entity transacts. It clarifies the principle that fair value should be based on the assumptions market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability and establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the information used to develop those assumptions. It also requires that fair value measurements be separately disclosed by level within the fair value hierarchy. Refer to Note 24.In February 2008, the FASB issued an update to the ASC guidance which provided a one year deferral until January 1, 2009 for certain non-financial assets and non-financial liabilities, except for those items that are recognized or disclosed at fair value on a recurring basis (at least annually). The Company adopted the provisions on January 1, 2009.In October 2008, the ASC guidance was updated for determining the fair value of a financial asset when the market for that asset is not active. The intent of this update was to provide guidance on how the fair value of a financial asset is to be determined when the market for that financial asset is not active. It is effective as of the issuance date and has not affected the valuation of the Company's financial assets.In April 2009, the ASC guidance was updated for determining fair value when the volume and level of activity for the asset or liability have significantly decreased and identifying circumstances that indicate when a transaction is not orderly. It provides additional guidance for estimating fair value when the volume and level of activity have significantly decreased. It also includes guidance on identifying circumstances that indicate a transaction is not orderly. It is effective for interim and annual reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009, and is applied prospectively. The adoption had no impact on the Company's financial statements.In August 2009, the ASC guidance was updated to clarify how entities should estimate the fair value of liabilities. It provides clarification for circumstances in which: (i) a quoted price in an active market for the identical liability is not available, (ii) the liability has a restriction that prevents its transfer, and (iii) the identical liability is traded as an asset in an active market in which no adjustments to the quoted price of an asset are required. The amended guidance on measuring liabilities at fair value is effective for the first interim or annual reporting period beginning after August 28, 2009. The adoption had no impact on the Company's financial statements.Uncertain taxesThe Company adopted the FASB ASC guidance for accounting for uncertainty in income taxes on January 1, 2007 and recorded an opening adjustment of $25 million against opening accumulated deficit on adoption. The guidance prescribes a comprehensive model for the financial statement recognition, measurement presentation and disclosure of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in income tax returns. It also provides guidance on derecognition and classification and recognition of interest and penalties. Decreases in ownership of a subsidiaryIn January 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") updated the Accounting Standards Codification ("the false false false us-types:textBlockItemType textblock This item represents the disclosure necessary for reporting accounting changes and error corrections. It includes the conveyance of information necessary for a user of the Company's financial information to understand all aspects and required disclosure information concerning all changes and error corrections that may be reported in the Company's financial statements for the period. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 154 -Paragraph 17, 22, 25, 26 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) -Number Topic 1 -Section N false 1 2 false UnKnown UnKnown UnKnown false true