Credit Arrangements (Narrative) (Details)	12 Months Ended						12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2011 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2013 Euro Line Of Credit [Member] USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2013 Euro Line Of Credit [Member] EUR (€)	Aug. 31, 2013 Wells Fargo Bank NA (Revolving Credit Agreement)[Member]	Aug. 31, 2013 Wells Fargo Bank N.A. (B S I Term Note) [Member] USD ($)	Jun. 01, 2006 Wells Fargo Bank N.A. (B S I Term Note) [Member]	Jun. 01, 2006 Line of Credit [Member] Wells Fargo Bank N.A. (B S I Term Note) [Member] USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2013 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				$ 3,000,000	€ 2,300,000
Basis points				1.10%	1.10%			0.50%		0.90%
Interest rate				1.32%	1.32%	1.08%	0.68%
Fixed interest rate								6.05%
Maturity date				Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2014
Unsecured term note and credit agreement									30,000,000		30,000,000
Principal payment							1,100,000
Frequency of payments							quarterly
Repayment period							7 years
Annual commitment fee	0.25%
Interest expense	$ 304,000	$ 492,000	$ 762,000