Recent Accounting Standards (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Recent Accounting Standards [Abstract]

Adoption of ASU 2009-13 and its impact

In October 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2009-13, which amended existing guidance for identifying separate deliverables in a revenue-generating transaction where multiple deliverables exist and requires that arrangement consideration be allocated at the inception of an arrangement to all deliverables using the relative selling price method. The ASU also establishes a selling price hierarchy for determining the selling price of a deliverable, which includes: 1) vendor-specific objective evidence if available, 2) third-party evidence if vendor-specific objective evidence is not available, and 3) estimated selling price if neither vendor-specific nor third-party evidence is available.

The majority of the Company's businesses generate revenue through the manufacture and sale of a broad range of specialized products and components, with revenue recognized upon transfer of title and risk of loss, which is generally upon shipment. When the Company has multiple deliverables in its sales arrangements, they are typically separate units of accounting with vendor-specific objective evidence of selling price. The Company adopted the requirements of ASU 2009-13 on a prospective basis, effective January 1, 2011. The requirements of ASU 2009-13 did not significantly change the Company's units of accounting or how the Company allocates arrangement consideration to various units of accounting. Therefore, the adoption of ASU 2009-13 did not have a material effect on the Company's statement of position or results of operations.

Adoption of ASU 2009-14 and its impact

In October 2009, the FASB issued ASU 2009-14 which eliminates tangible products containing both software and non-software components that operate together to deliver a product's functionality from the scope of then-current generally accepted accounting principles for software. The Company adopted ASU 2009-14 on a prospective basis, effective January 1, 2011. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Adoption of ASU 2011-04 and its impact

In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-04 which was issued to provide a consistent definition of fair value and ensure that the fair value measurement and disclosure requirements are similar between U.S. GAAP and IFRS. ASU 2011-04 changes certain fair value measurement principles and enhances the disclosure requirements particularly for Level 3 fair value measurements.  This guidance is effective for the Company beginning on January 1, 2012.  Its adoption is not expected to significantly impact the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Adoption of ASU 2011-05 and its impact

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-05 which provides new guidance on the presentation of comprehensive income.  ASU 2011-05 eliminates the option to report other comprehensive income and its components in the statement of changes in stockholders' equity and instead requires an entity to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement or in two separate but consecutive statements.   This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011, with early adoption permitted.  The adoption of this ASU will not have a significant impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements as it only requires a change in the format of the current presentation. 

Adoption of ASU 2011-09 and its impact

In September 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-09 which requires enhanced disclosures around an employer's participation in multiemployer pension plans.  The standard is intended to provide more information about an employer's financial obligations to a multiemployer pension plan to help financial statement users better understand the financial health of the significant plans in which the employer participates.  This guidance is effective for the Company for its fiscal 2011 year-end reporting.   Its adoption is not expected to significantly impact the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Adoption of ASU 2011-08 and its impact

In September 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-08 which provides an entity the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the current two-step test for goodwill impairment.  If an entity believes, as a result of its qualitative assessment, that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, the quantitative impairment test is required.  Otherwise, no further testing is required. The revised standard is effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011.  However, an entity can choose to early adopt even if its annual test date is before the issuance of the final standard, provided that the entity has not yet performed its 2011 annual impairment test or issued its financial statements.   Its adoption is not expected to significantly impact the Company's consolidated financial statements.