Derivative Financial Instruments

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Financial Instruments Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivative Financial Instruments

(7) Derivative Financial Instruments 

The Company from time to time will use derivative financial instruments, such as foreign currency forward contracts, as economic hedges to reduce exchange rate risks arising from the change in fair value of certain foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities (i.e., receivables and payables). The purpose of the Company’s foreign currency risk management program is to reduce volatility in earnings caused by exchange rate fluctuations.  In accordance with the authoritative guidance issued by the FASB on derivatives and hedging, companies are required to recognize all of the derivative financial instruments as either assets or liabilities at fair value in their balance sheets. The Company’s derivative instruments do not meet the criteria for hedge accounting within the authoritative guidance. Therefore, the foreign currency forward contracts are recorded at fair value, with the gain or loss on these transactions recorded in the consolidated statements of operations within “interest and other income (loss), net” in the period in which they occur. The Company does not use derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

The Company did not utilize foreign currency forward contracts during the first six months of 2011, and there were no such contracts outstanding at June 30, 2011 or December 31, 2010. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company recorded approximately $0.5 million and $0.8 million, respectively, of gains related to its foreign currency forward contracts.