Business and Basis of Presentation

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]

Note 1 — Business and Basis of Presentation

Business. Gartner, Inc. is a global information technology research and advisory company founded in 1979 with its headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. Gartner delivers its products and services through three business segments: Research, Consulting, and Events. When used in these notes, the terms “Gartner,” “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to Gartner, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Basis of presentation. These interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”), as defined in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 270 for interim financial information and with the applicable instructions of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X on Form 10-Q and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes of the Company filed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. The fiscal year of Gartner represents the twelve-month calendar period from January 1 through December 31. In the opinion of management, all normal recurring accruals and adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of financial position, results of operations and cash flows at the dates and for the periods presented herein have been included. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 may not be indicative of the results of operations for the remainder of 2012.

On January 1, 2012, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2011-05, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220-10): Presentation of Comprehensive Income, and a related amendment. Comprehensive income includes income and expense items from nonowner sources and consists of two separate components: net income as reported and other comprehensive income. ASU No. 2011-05 eliminates the option to report comprehensive income and its components in the statement of stockholders’ equity. Instead, the new rule optionally requires the presentation of net income and comprehensive income in one continuous statement, or in two separate, but consecutive statements. The Company has presented net income, other comprehensive income and its components, and comprehensive income in a new, separate statement called the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. While the Company’s presentation of comprehensive income has changed, there are no changes to the components or amounts that are recognized in net income or other comprehensive income under current accounting guidance. As a result, the adoption of this new rule did not impact the Company’s results of operations, cash flows, or financial position.

Principles of consolidation. The accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly- and majority-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.

Use of estimates. The preparation of the accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions about future events. These estimates and the underlying assumptions affect the amounts of assets and liabilities reported, disclosures about contingent assets and liabilities, and reported amounts of revenues and expenses. Such estimates include the valuation of accounts receivable, goodwill, intangible assets, and other long-lived assets, as well as tax accruals and other liabilities. In addition, estimates are used in revenue recognition, income tax expense, performance-based compensation charges, depreciation and amortization, and the allowance for losses. Management believes its use of estimates in these interim condensed consolidated financial statements is reasonable.

Management continuously evaluates and revises its estimates using historical experience and other factors, including the general economic environment and actions it may take in the future. Such estimates are adjusted when facts and circumstances dictate. However, these estimates may involve significant uncertainties and judgments and cannot be determined with precision. In addition, these estimates are based on management’s best judgment at a point in time. As a result, differences between such estimates and actual results could be material and would be reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements in future periods.