Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Accounting Policies

Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

Fiscal Year – This report on Form 10-K includes financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010.

Consolidation – These consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of ClearOne Communications, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.

Pervasiveness of Estimates – The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of sales and expenses during the reporting periods. Key estimates in the accompanying consolidated financial statements include, among others, revenue recognition, allowances for doubtful accounts and product returns, provisions for obsolete inventory, valuation of long-lived assets, and deferred income tax asset valuation allowances. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates.

Foreign Currency Translation –The results of operations for the Company’s foreign subsidiary in the United Kingdom are recorded by the subsidiary in the British Pound and remeasured in the U.S. Dollar. Assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate prevailing on the balance sheet date or the historical rate, as appropriate. Revenue and expenses are translated at average rates of exchange prevailing during the period. Upon making the translations to the U.S. Dollar, we concluded that as of the balance sheet date the impact of such re-measurements was immaterial and, as such, have been posted through our statement of operations as opposed to including them in other comprehensive income.

Concentration Risk – We depend on an outsourced manufacturing strategy for our products. We outsource the manufacture of all of our products to third-party manufacturers located in both the U.S. and Asia. If any of these manufacturers experience difficulties in obtaining sufficient supplies of components, component prices significantly exceeding the anticipated costs, an interruption in their operations, or otherwise suffer capacity constraints, we would experience a delay in shipping these products which would have a negative impact on our revenues. Should there be any disruption in services due to natural disaster, economic or political difficulties, transportation restrictions, acts of terror, quarantine or other restrictions associated with infectious diseases, or other similar events, or any other reason, such disruption would have a material adverse effect on our business. Operating in the international environment exposes us to certain inherent risks, including unexpected changes in regulatory requirements and tariffs, and potentially adverse tax consequences, which could materially affect our results of operations. Currently, we have no second source of manufacturing for a portion of our products.

Cash Equivalents – The Company considers all highly-liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less, when purchased, to be cash equivalents. The Company places its temporary cash investments with high-quality financial institutions. At times, such investments may be in excess of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits.

Accounts Receivable – Accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount. Generally, credit is granted to customers, on a short-term basis without requiring collateral, and as such these accounts receivable do not bear interest, although a finance charge may be applied to such receivables that are past due. The Company extends credit to customers who it believes have the financial strength to pay. The Company has in place credit policies and procedures, an approval process for sales returns and credit memos, and processes for managing and monitoring channel inventory levels.

The allowance for doubtful accounts is the Company’s best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in the Company’s existing accounts receivable. Management regularly analyzes accounts receivable including current aging, historical write-off experience, customer concentrations, customer creditworthiness, and current economic trends when evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts. If the assumptions that are used to determine the allowance for doubtful accounts change, the Company may have to provide for a greater level of expense in future periods or reverse amounts provided in prior periods.

The Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts activity for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 was as follows:

	Year ended December 31,
	2011	2010
Balance at beginning of the year	$               206	$           103
Charged to costs and expenses	312	103
Deductions	(369)	-
Balance at end of the year	$               149	$           206

Inventories – Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market, with cost computed on a first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) basis. In addition to the price of the product purchased, the cost of inventory includes the Company’s internal manufacturing costs including warehousing, engineering, material purchasing, quality and product planning expenses and applicable overhead, not in excess of estimated realizable value. Consideration is given to obsolescence, excessive levels, deterioration, direct selling expenses, and other factors in evaluating net realizable value.

Consigned inventory includes products that have been delivered to customers for which revenue recognition criteria have not been met.

The inventory also includes advance replacement units (valued at cost) provided by the Company to end-users to service defective products under warranty. The value of advance replacement units included in the inventory was $43 and $168, as of December 31, 2011 and 2010 respectively.

Property and Equipment – Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Expenditures that materially increase values or capacities or extend useful lives of property and equipment are capitalized. Routine maintenance, repairs, and renewal costs are expensed as incurred. Gains or losses from the sale, trade-in or retirement of property and equipment are recorded in current operations and the related book value of the property is removed from property and equipment accounts and the related accumulated depreciation and amortization accounts.

Estimated useful lives are generally two to ten years. Depreciation and amortization are calculated over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets using the straight-line method. Leasehold improvement amortization is computed using the straight-line method over the shorter of the lease term or the estimated useful life of the related assets.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets –Intangible assets acquired in a purchase business combination are amortized over their useful lives unless these lives are determined to be indefinite. Intangible assets are carried at cost, less accumulated amortization. Amortization is computed over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, which are generally three to ten years. Goodwill represents the excess of costs over the fair value of net assets of businesses acquired. Goodwill and intangible assets acquired in a purchase business combination and determined to have an indefinite useful life are not amortized. In accordance with the provisions of FASB ASC Topic 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other, the Company tests goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives for impairment at least annually at the beginning of the fourth quarter, or sooner if a triggering event occurs suggesting possible impairment of the values of these assets. Impairment testing for these assets involves a two-step process. In the first step, the fair value of the reporting unit holding the assets is compared to its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the second step of the impairment test is performed to measure the amount of the impairment loss, if any. In the second step, the fair market value of the reporting unit is allocated to all of its assets and liabilities including intangible assets with indefinite lives. The excess, if any, of the fair market value of the reporting unit over the sum of the fair market values allocated to identified assets and liabilities is the value of goodwill to be compared to its carrying value (See Note 3 – Business Combinations, Goodwill and Intangibles). ClearOne and all of its subsidiaries are considered as one reporting unit for this purpose.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets – Long-lived assets, such as property, equipment, and definite-lived intangibles subject to amortization, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset or asset group to estimated future undiscounted net cash flows of the related asset or group of assets over their remaining lives. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future undiscounted cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset. Impairment of long-lived assets is assessed at the lowest levels for which there are identifiable cash flows that are independent of other groups of assets. The impairment of long-lived assets requires judgments and estimates. If circumstances change, such estimates could also change.

Revenue Recognition – Product revenue is recognized when (i) the products are shipped, (ii) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (iii) the price is fixed and determinable, and (iv) collection is reasonably assured.

The Company provides a right of return on product sales to major distributors and other resellers under a product rotation program. Under this seldom used program, once a quarter a distributor or reseller is allowed to return products purchased during the prior 180 days for a total value generally not exceeding 15% of the distributor or reseller’s net purchases during the preceding quarter. The distributor is, however, required to place a new purchase order for an amount not less than the value of products returned under the stock rotation program. When products are returned, the associated revenue, cost of goods sold, inventory and accounts receivable originally recorded are reversed. When the new order is fulfilled, the revenue, associated cost of goods sold, inventory and accounts receivable are recorded and the product revenue is subject to the deferral analysis described below. In a small number of cases, the distributors are also permitted to return the products for other business reasons.

Revenue from product sales to distributors is not recognized until the return privilege has expired or until it can be determined with reasonable certainty that the return privilege has expired, which approximates when product is sold-through to customers of the Company’s distributors (dealers, system integrators, value-added resellers, and end-users) rather than when the product is initially shipped to a distributor. At each quarter-end, the Company evaluates the inventory in the channel through information provided by our distributors. The level of inventory in the channel will fluctuate up or down, each quarter, based upon our distributors’ individual operations. Accordingly, each quarter-end, the deferral for revenue and associated cost of goods sold are calculated and recorded based upon the actual channel inventory reported at quarter-end. Further, with respect to distributors and other channel partners not reporting the channel inventory, the revenue and associated cost of goods sold are deferred until the Company receives payment for the product sales made to such distributors or channel partners.

The amount of deferred cost of goods sold is included in consigned inventory.

The details of deferred revenue and associated cost of goods sold and gross profit are as follows:

	As of December 31,
	2011	2010
Deferred Revenue	$            3,404	$       4,306
Deferred Cost of Goods Sold	1,199	1,742
Deferred Gross Profit	$            2,205	$       2,564

The Company offers rebates and market development funds to certain of its distributors, dealers/resellers, and end-users based upon the volume of product purchased by them. The Company records rebates as a reduction of revenue in accordance with GAAP.

The Company provides, at its discretion, advance replacement units to end-users on defective units of certain products under warranty. Since the purpose of these units is not revenue generating, the Company tracks the units due from the end-user, valued at retail price, until the defective unit has been returned, but no receivable balance is maintained on the Company’s balance sheet. The retail value of in-transit advance replacement units was $267 and $847 as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Sales and similar taxes - Taxes collected from customers and remitted to government authorities are reported on a net basis and thus excluded from revenues.

Shipping and Handling Costs – Shipping and handling billed to customers is recorded as revenue. Shipping and handling costs are included in cost of goods sold.

Warranty Costs – The Company accrues for warranty costs based on estimated warranty return rates and estimated costs to repair. Factors that affect the Company’s warranty liability include the number of units sold, historical and anticipated rates of warranty returns, and repair cost. The Company reviews the adequacy of its recorded warranty accrual on a quarterly basis.

The details of changes in the Company’s warranty accrual are as follows:

	Year ended December 31,
	2011	2010
Balance at the beginning of year	$               363	$           133
Accruals/additions	439	543
Usage	(335)	(313)
Balance at end of year	$               467	$           363

Advertising – The Company expenses advertising costs as incurred. Advertising expenses consist of trade shows, magazine advertisements, and other forms of media. Advertising expenses for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, totaled $482 and $750, respectively, and are included under the caption “Sales and Marketing”.

Research and Product Development Costs – The Company expenses research and product development costs as incurred.

Income Taxes – The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under the asset and liability method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, and operating loss and tax credit carry-forwards. These temporary differences will result in deductible or taxable amounts in future years when the reported amounts of the assets or liabilities are recovered or settled. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets may not be realized. The Company evaluates the realizability of its net deferred tax assets on a quarterly basis and valuation allowances are provided, as necessary. Adjustments to the valuation allowance increase or decrease the Company’s income tax provision or benefit. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had a valuation allowance of $1,066 against capital loss carryovers, and state research and development credits.

The Company follows the provisions contained in ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes. The Company recognizes the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is at least more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position.

Judgment is required in determining the provision for income taxes and related accruals, deferred tax assets and liabilities. In the ordinary course of business, there are transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax outcome is uncertain. Additionally, the Company’s tax returns are subject to audit by various tax authorities. Although the Company believes that its estimates are reasonable, actual results could differ from these estimates.

Earnings Per Share – The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per common share:

	Year ended December 31,
	2011	2010
Numerator:
Net income	$              6,929	$         2,374
Denominator:
Basic weighted average shares	9,027,934	8,929,305
Dilutive common stock equivalents using treasury stock method	243,877	13,624
Diluted weighted average shares	9,271,811	8,942,929
Basic earnings per common share:	$                0.77	$           0.27
Diluted earnings per common share:	$                0.75	$           0.27

Options to purchase a weighted-average of 893,343 and 1,233,655 shares of common stock were outstanding during the year ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 respectively, but were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share as the effect would be anti-dilutive.

Share-Based Payment – The Company applies FASB ASC Topic 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation. ASC Topic 718 establishes standards for the accounting of transactions in which an entity exchanges its equity instruments for goods or services. Primarily, ASC Topic 718 focuses on accounting for transactions in which an entity obtains employee services in share-based payment transactions. It also addresses transactions in which an entity incurs liabilities in exchange for goods or services that are based on the fair value of the entity’s equity instruments or that may be settled by the issuance of those equity instruments.

ASC Topic 718 requires the Company to measure the cost of employee services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the grant date fair value of the award (with limited exceptions). That cost will be recognized over the period during which an employee is required to provide service in exchange for the awards – the requisite service period (usually the vesting period). No compensation cost is recognized for equity instruments for which employees do not render the requisite service. Therefore, if an employee does not ultimately render the requisite service, the costs associated with the unvested options will not be recognized.

Effective July 1, 2005, the Company adopted guidelines included in ASC Topic 718 and its fair value recognition provisions using the modified prospective transition method. Under this transition method, stock-based compensation cost recognized after July 1, 2005 includes the straight-line basis compensation cost for (a) all share-based payments granted prior to July 1, 2005, but not yet vested, based on the grant date fair values used for the pro-forma disclosures under the original SFAS No. 123, and (b) all share-based payments granted or modified on or after July 1, 2005, in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 718. See Note 9 – Share-Based Payments for information about the Company’s various share-based compensation plans, the impact of adoption of ASC Topic 718, and the assumptions used to calculate the fair value of share-based compensation.

If assumptions change in the application of ASC Topic 718 in future periods, the stock-based compensation cost ultimately recorded under ASC Topic 718 may differ significantly from what was recorded in the current period.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

After evaluating the recent accounting pronouncements through the date of this filing, the Company has concluded that application of these pronouncements will have no material impact on the Company’s financial results.