Credit Arrangements (Narrative) (Details)	12 Months Ended						12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2011 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2010 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2012 Euro Line Of Credit [Member] EUR (€)	Aug. 31, 2011 Euro Line Of Credit [Member] EUR (€)	Aug. 31, 2012 Wells Fargo Bank NA (Revolving Credit Agreement)[Member]	Aug. 31, 2012 Wells Fargo Bank N.A. (B S I Term Note) [Member] USD ($)	Jun. 03, 2006 Wells Fargo Bank N.A. (B S I Term Note) [Member]	Jun. 01, 2006 Wells Fargo Bank N.A. (B S I Term Note) [Member]	Jun. 06, 2006 Line of Credit [Member] Wells Fargo Bank N.A. (B S I Term Note) [Member] USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2012 Revolving Credit Facility [Member] Wells Fargo Bank NA (Revolving Credit Agreement)[Member]	Jan. 23, 2011 Revolving Credit Facility [Member] Wells Fargo Bank NA (Revolving Credit Agreement)[Member] USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unsecured revolving line of credit, maximum borrowing capacity				€ 2,300,000
Unsecured revolving line of credit, amount outstanding				0	0
Basis points				1.10%				0.50%			1.05%
Interest rate				1.38%		1.28%	0.65%
Variable interest rate									6.05%
Maturity date				Jan. 31, 2013
Interest expense	492,000	762,000	1,557,000
Unsecured term note and credit agreement										30,000,000		30,000,000
Principal payment							$ 1,100,000
Line of Credit Facility, Frequency of Payments							quarterly
Annual commitment fee	0.25%