STOCK PLANS AND SHARE BASED COMPENSATION (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Share-based Compensation, Option and Incentive Plans, Director Policy [Policy Text Block]

The Company applies the provisions of ASC 718-10. Under the provisions of ASC 718-10, the Company recognizes the fair value of stock-based compensation in financial statements over the requisite service period of the individual grants, which generally equals a four-year vesting period. The Company uses estimates of volatility, expected term, risk-free interest rate, dividend yield and forfeitures in determining the fair value of these awards and the amount of compensation expense to recognize. The Company uses the straight-line method to amortize all stock awards granted over the requisite service period of the award.

Determining Fair Value of Stock Options

The Company uses the Black-Scholes valuation model for valuing stock option grants using the following assumptions and estimates:

ExpectedVolatility. The Company calculates expected volatility as an average of implied volatility and historical volatility.

Expected Term. The Company utilizes a model which uses historical exercise, cancellation and outstanding option data to calculate the expected term of stock option grants.

Risk-Free Interest Rate. The Company bases the risk-free interest rate used in the Black-Scholes valuation model on the implied yield available on a U.S. Treasury note with a term approximately equal to the expected term of the underlying grants.

Dividend Yield.  The dividend yield was calculated by dividing the annual dividend by the average closing price of the Company's common stock on a quarterly basis.

Estimated Forfeitures. The Company uses historical data to estimate pre-vesting option forfeitures, and records share-based compensation expense only for those awards that are expected to vest.