Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies and Practices (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) and on the same basis as the audited financial statements included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. The Consolidated Statements of Income, Comprehensive Income and Cash Flows for the periods ended June 30, 2017, and June 30, 2016, and the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of June 30, 2017, are not audited but reflect all adjustments that are of a normal recurring nature and are necessary for a fair statement of the results of the periods shown. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual consolidated financial statements have been omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Because the consolidated interim financial statements do not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for a complete set of financial statements, they should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. The results for the three- and six-month periods are not necessarily indicative of a full year’s results.

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of all subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. All dollar amounts in the financial statements and tables in these notes, except per-share amounts, are stated in millions of U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated. We have reclassified certain amounts in the prior periods’ financial statements to conform to the current presentation, retrospectively applying the new accounting standard related to pension and other retiree benefit costs. See Adopted standards for current period for further information.

Earnings per share (EPS)

Unvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to receive dividends or dividend equivalents, such as our restricted stock units (RSUs), are considered to be participating securities and the two-class method is used for purposes of calculating EPS. Under the two-class method, a portion of Net income is allocated to these participating securities and, therefore, is excluded from the calculation of EPS allocated to common stock, as shown in the table below.

Derivatives and hedging

We use derivative financial instruments to manage exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. These instruments are primarily forward foreign currency exchange contracts, which are used as economic hedges to reduce the earnings impact that exchange rate fluctuations may have on our non-U.S. dollar net balance sheet exposures. Gains and losses from changes in the fair value of these forward foreign currency exchange contracts are credited or charged to OI&E. We do not apply hedge accounting to our foreign currency derivative instruments.

In connection with the issuance of long-term debt, we use financial derivatives such as treasury rate lock agreements that are recognized in AOCI and amortized over the life of the related debt. The results of these derivative transactions have not been material.

We do not use derivatives for speculative or trading purposes.

Fair values of financial instruments

The fair values of our derivative financial instruments were not material as of June 30, 2017. Our investments in cash equivalents, short-term investments and certain long-term investments, as well as our deferred compensation liabilities, are carried at fair value. The carrying values for other current financial assets and liabilities, such as accounts receivable and accounts payable, approximate fair value due to the short maturity of such instruments. The carrying value of our long-term debt approximates the fair value as measured using broker-dealer quotes, which are Level 2 inputs. See Note 5 for a description of fair value and the definition of Level 2 inputs.

Fair-value considerations

We measure and report certain financial assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date.

The three-level hierarchy discussed below indicates the extent and level of judgment used to estimate fair-value measurements.

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Level 1 – Uses unadjusted quoted prices that are available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date.

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Level 2 – Uses inputs other than Level 1 that are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date through correlation with market data, including quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets and quoted prices in markets that are not active. Level 2 also includes assets and liabilities that are valued using models or other pricing methodologies that do not require significant judgment since the input assumptions used in the models, such as interest rates and volatility factors, are corroborated by readily observable data. We utilize a third-party data service to provide Level 2 valuations. We verify these valuations for reasonableness relative to unadjusted quotes obtained from brokers or dealers based on observable prices for similar assets in active markets.

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Level 3 – Uses inputs that are unobservable, supported by little or no market activity and reflect the use of significant management judgment. These values are generally determined using pricing models that utilize management estimates of market participant assumptions. As of June 30, 2017, and December 31, 2016, we had no Level 3 assets or liabilities, other than certain assets held by our postretirement plans.

Changes in accounting standards

Adopted standards for current period

In October 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory. This standard requires current and deferred income taxes resulting from the intra-entity transfer of any assets other than inventory to be recognized for financial reporting purposes when the transfer occurs rather than postpone recognition until the asset has been sold to an outside party, as currently allowed. This standard is required to be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings and is effective for our interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2018. As early adoption is permitted, we elected to early adopt this standard in the first quarter of 2017. The effect on our financial position and results of operations was not material.

In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-07, Compensation – Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost. This standard amends the income statement presentation of the components of net periodic benefit cost for defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans. This standard requires us to: (1) disaggregate the current service cost component from the other components of net periodic benefit cost (the “other components”) and present it in the same line items on the statement of income as other current compensation costs for related employees and (2) present the other components outside of operating profit (i.e., in OI&E). This standard is required to be applied retrospectively and is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. As early adoption is permitted, we elected to adopt this standard as of the beginning of the first quarter of 2017. While the adoption of this standard did not impact Revenue, Net income, Earnings per common share or Cash flows from operating activities, the following components on the Consolidated Statements of Income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, were affected:

	For Three Months Ended June 30, 2016					For Six Months Ended June 30, 2016
	Reported		Recast			Reported		Recast
COR	$	1,270	$	1,266		$	2,454	$	2,445
Gross profit		2,003		2,007			3,827		3,836
R&D		345		341			671		663
SG&A		460		454			908		895
Operating profit:
Analog		771		781			1,450		1,469
Embedded Processing		189		192			371		379
Other		157		158			264		267
Total operating profit		1,117		1,131			2,085		2,115
OI&E		6		(8	)		10		(20	)

Standards not yet adopted

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). This standard provides a single set of guidelines for revenue recognition to be used across all industries and requires additional disclosures. It is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. This standard permits early adoption and the use of either the retrospective or cumulative-effect transition method. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of this standard on our financial position and results of operations, as well as our selected transition method. Based on our preliminary assessment, we believe the new standard will not have a material impact on our financial position and results of operations, as we do not expect to change the manner or timing of recognizing revenue on a majority of our revenue transactions. We recognize revenue on sales to customers and distributors upon satisfaction of our performance obligations when the goods are shipped. For consignment sales, we recognize revenue when the goods are pulled from consignment inventory. This standard will also require additional disclosures in our consolidated financial statements, and we are currently evaluating the impact of these new disclosure requirements.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments – Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. Under this standard, all equity investments except those accounted for under the equity method are required to be measured at fair value. Equity investments that do not have a readily determinable fair value may, as a practical expedient, be measured at cost, adjusted for changes in observable prices minus impairment. This standard is effective for our interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2018, and should be applied on a modified retrospective basis except for the amendments related to equity securities without readily determinable fair values, which would be applied on a prospective basis. We do not expect this standard to have a material impact on our financial position and results of operations, as nearly all of our equity investments are already recorded at fair value or under the equity method.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). This standard requires all leases that have a term of over 12 months to be recognized on the balance sheet with the liability for lease payments and the corresponding right-of-use asset initially measured at the present value of amounts expected to be paid over the term. Recognition of the costs of these leases on the income statement will be dependent upon their classification as either an operating or a financing lease. Costs of an operating lease will continue to be recognized as a single operating expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Costs for a financing lease will be disaggregated and recognized as both an operating expense (for the amortization of the right-of-use asset) and interest expense (for interest on the lease liability). This standard will be effective for our interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2019, and must be applied on a modified retrospective basis to leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements. We do not plan to adopt this standard early. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of this standard on our financial position, but we do not expect it to have a material impact on our results of operations.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. This standard requires entities to use a current lifetime expected credit loss methodology to measure impairments of certain financial assets. Using this methodology will result in earlier recognition of losses than under the current incurred loss approach, which requires waiting to recognize a loss until it is probable of having been incurred. There are other provisions within the standard that affect how impairments of other financial assets may be recorded and presented, and that expand disclosures. This standard will be effective for our interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and permits earlier application but not before December 15, 2018. The standard will be applied using a modified retrospective approach. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of this standard, but we do not expect it to have a material impact on our financial position and results of operations.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business, which affects areas of accounting such as acquisitions, disposals and goodwill. This standard provides guidance to evaluate whether transactions should be accounted for as an acquisition (or disposal) of assets or as a business combination. Under this new standard, if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets, it may be treated as an asset acquisition rather than a business combination. This standard is to be applied on a prospective basis and will be effective for us for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods. Early adoption is permitted. The impact of this standard on our financial position, results of operation and related disclosures will be dependent upon the specific terms of any applicable future acquisitions or dispositions.

In February 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-05, Other Income – Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets (Subtopic 610-20): Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition Guidance and Accounting for Partial Sales of Nonfinancial Assets. This standard provides guidance on the recognition and measurement of gains and losses from the transfer, sale or partial sale to noncustomers of nonfinancial assets (such as intangible assets, property, plant and equipment) or an ownership interest in a consolidated subsidiary that is not a business. This standard is to be applied on either a retrospective basis to all periods presented or on a modified retrospective basis (i.e., cumulative catch up as of the beginning of the earliest period presented) and will be effective for us for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods. Earlier application is permitted. We are currently evaluating the timing of adoption and the potential impact of this standard on our financial position and results of operations, but we do not expect it to have a material impact.

Debt and equity investments

We classify our investments as available for sale, trading, equity method or cost method. Most of our investments are classified as available for sale.

Available-for-sale and trading securities are stated at fair value, which is generally based on market prices or broker quotes. See the fair-value discussion below. Unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities are recorded as an increase or decrease, net of taxes, in AOCI on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We record other-than-temporary impairments on available-for-sale securities in OI&E in our Consolidated Statements of Income.

We classify certain mutual funds as trading securities. These mutual funds hold a variety of debt and equity investments intended to generate returns that offset changes in certain deferred compensation liabilities. We record changes in the fair value of these mutual funds and the related deferred compensation liabilities in SG&A.

Our other investments are not measured at fair value but are accounted for using either the equity method or cost method. These investments consist of interests in venture capital funds and other non-marketable equity securities. Gains and losses from equity-method investments are reflected in OI&E based on our ownership share of the investee’s financial results. Gains and losses on cost-method investments are recorded in OI&E when realized or when an impairment of the investment’s value is warranted based on our assessment of the recoverability of each investment.

Indemnification guarantees and warranty costs/product liabilities

Indemnification guarantees

We routinely sell products with an intellectual property indemnification included in the terms of sale. Historically, we have had only minimal, infrequent losses associated with these indemnities. Consequently, we cannot reasonably estimate any future liabilities that may result.

Warranty costs/product liabilities

We accrue for known product-related claims if a loss is probable and can be reasonably estimated. During the periods presented, there have been no material accruals or payments regarding product warranty or product liability. Historically, we have experienced a low rate of payments on product claims. Although we cannot predict the likelihood or amount of any future claims, we do not believe they will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. Our stated warranties for semiconductor products obligate us to repair, replace or credit the purchase price of a covered product back to the buyer. Product claim consideration may exceed the price of our products.

- Definition

Disclosure of accounting policy for investments in financial assets, including marketable securities (debt and equity securities with readily determinable fair values), investments accounted for under the equity method and cost method, securities borrowed and loaned, and repurchase and resale agreements. For marketable securities, the disclosure may include the entity's accounting treatment for transfers between investment categories and how the fair values for such securities are determined. Also, for all investments, an entity may describe its policy for assessing, recognizing and measuring impairment of the investment.

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