2.Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of presentation

 

These unaudited interim consolidated financial statements do not conform in all respects to the requirements of generally accepted accounting principles for annual financial statements. The unaudited interim financial statements reflect all normal adjustments which in the opinion of management are necessary for a fair statement of the results for the periods presented. These unaudited interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015. The year-end balance sheet data was derived from the audited financial statements and certain information and footnote disclosures required by United States generally accepted accounting principles (US GAAP) have been condensed or omitted.

 

 New accounting pronouncements

 

In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU”) 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs. The update requires debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the related debt liability instead of being presented as an asset. Debt disclosures will include the face amount of the debt liability and the effective interest rate. The update requires retrospective application and represents a change in accounting principle. The update is effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted for financial statements that have not been previously issued.  We elected early adoption of this standard effective the second quarter of 2015. 

 

In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606).”  The amendments in ASU 2014-09 affect any entity that either enters into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services or enters into contracts for the transfer of nonfinancial assets unless those contracts are within the scope of other standards (e.g., insurance contracts or lease contracts). This ASU will supersede the revenue recognition requirements in Topic 605, Revenue Recognition, and most industry-specific guidance, and creates a Topic 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers.  The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of the promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services.  The amendments are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017.  Early application is not permitted.  We are assessing the impact this pronouncement may have on our financial reporting.

 

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-1, Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (Topic 825). The amendments in this Update supersede the guidance to classify equity securities with readily determinable fair values into different categories (that is, trading or available-for-sale) and require equity securities (including other ownership interests, such as partnerships, unincorporated joint ventures, and limited liability companies) to be measured at fair value with changes in the fair value recognized through net income. The amendments allow equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values to be remeasured at fair value either upon the occurrence of an observable price change or upon identification of an impairment. The amendments also require enhanced disclosures about those investments. The amendments improve financial reporting by providing relevant information about an entity’s equity investments and reducing the number of items that are recognized in other comprehensive income. This guidance is effective for annual reporting beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within the year of adoption, and calls for prospective application, with early application permitted. Accordingly, the standard is effective for us beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2019. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

 

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires lessees to recognize all leases, including operating leases, unless the lease is a short-term lease. ASU 2016-02 also requires additional disclosures regarding leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 is effective for interim periods and fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and early application is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact that this standard update will have on our consolidated financial statements.

 

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09,  Compensation-Stock Compensation- Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (Topic 718), which involves several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows.  Under the new standard, income tax benefits and deficiencies are to be recognized as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement and the tax effects of exercised or vested awards should be treated as discrete items in the reporting period in which they occur.  An entity should also recognize excess tax benefits regardless of whether the benefit reduces taxes payable in the current period.  Excess tax benefits should be classified along with other income tax cash flows as an operating activity.  In regards to forfeitures, the entity may make an entity-wide accounting policy election to either estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest or account for forfeitures when they occur. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 including interim periods within that reporting period, however early adoption is permitted.  We are currently evaluating the guidance to determine the Company's adoption method and the effect it will have on the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements.