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Income taxes
 3 Months Ended
Apr. 30, 2012
Income Taxes [Abstract]  
Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]
3.
Income taxes. Each quarter, the Company estimates the annual effective income tax rate ("ETR") for the full year and applies that rate to the income (loss) before income taxes in determining its provision for income taxes for the interim periods. The determination of the consolidated provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities and related valuation allowances requires management to make judgments and estimates. As a company with subsidiaries in foreign jurisdictions, the process of calculating income taxes involves estimating current tax obligations and exposures in each jurisdiction as well as making judgments regarding the future recoverability of deferred tax assets. Income earned in the United Arab Emirates ("U.A.E.") is not subject to local country income tax. Additionally, the relative proportion of taxable income earned domestically versus internationally can fluctuate significantly from period to period. Changes in the estimated level of annual pre-tax income, tax laws and the results of tax audits can affect the overall effective income tax rate, which impacts the level of income tax expense and net income. Judgments and estimates related to the Company's projections and assumptions are inherently uncertain; therefore, actual results could differ materially from projections.

The Company's consolidated ETR was 12.0% and 29.4% for the three months ended April 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively, leading to a $342 thousand decrease in the tax benefit. The April 30, 2012 computation of the ETR was reduced primarily by the change in the mix of the projected tax-free earnings in the U.A.E versus total projected earnings. In 2011, a valuation allowance was recorded for the losses incurred by the new start-up entity in Saudi Arabia. In 2012, this valuation allowance was reduced, which also lowered the ETR.

The Company periodically reviews the adequacy of its valuation allowance in all of the tax jurisdictions in which it operates and may make further adjustments based on management's outlook for continued profits in each jurisdiction.