IBM 2013 Annual Report Download - page 90

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
International Business Machines Corporation and Subsidiary Companies
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Capitalized software costs incurred or acquired after technologi-
cal feasibility has been established are amortized over periods
ranging up to 3 years. Capitalized costs for internal-use software
are amortized on a straight-line basis over periods ranging up to 2
years. Other intangible assets are amortized over periods between
1 and 7 years.
Environmental
The cost of internal environmental protection programs that are
preventative in nature are expensed as incurred. When a cleanup
program becomes likely, and it is probable that the company will
incur cleanup costs and those costs can be reasonably estimated,
the company accrues remediation costs for known environmental
liabilities. The company’s maximum exposure for all environmental
liabilities cannot be estimated and no amounts are recorded for
environmental liabilities that are not probable or estimable.
Asset Retirement Obligations
Asset retirement obligations (ARO) are legal obligations associated
with the retirement of long-lived assets. These liabilities are initially
recorded at fair value and the related asset retirement costs are
capitalized by increasing the carrying amount of the related assets
by the same amount as the liability. Asset retirement costs are
subsequently depreciated over the useful lives of the related assets.
Subsequent to initial recognition, the company records period-to-
period changes in the ARO liability resulting from the passage of
time in interest expense and revisions to either the timing or the
amount of the original expected cash flows to the related assets.
Defined Benefit Pension and
Nonpension Postretirement Benefit Plans
The funded status of the company’s defined benefit pension plans
and nonpension postretirement benefit plans (retirement-related
benefit plans) is recognized in the Consolidated Statement of Finan-
cial Position. The funded status is measured as the difference
between the fair value of plan assets and the benefit obligation at
December 31, the measurement date. For defined benefit pension
plans, the benefit obligation is the projected benefit obligation (PBO),
which represents the actuarial present value of benefits expected
to be paid upon retirement based on employee services already
rendered and estimated future compensation levels. For the non-
pension postretirement benefit plans, the benefit obligation is the
accumulated postretirement benefit obligation (APBO), which rep-
resents the actuarial present value of postretirement benefits
attributed to employee services already rendered. The fair value of
plan assets represents the current market value of cumulative com-
pany and participant contributions made to an irrevocable trust
fund, held for the sole benefit of participants, which are invested by
the trust fund. Overfunded plans, with the fair value of plan assets
exceeding the benefit obligation, are aggregated and recorded as
a prepaid pension asset equal to this excess. Underfunded plans,
with the benefit obligation exceeding the fair value of plan assets,
are aggregated and recorded as a retirement and nonpension post-
retirement benefit obligation equal to this excess.
The current portion of the retirement and nonpension postretire-
ment benefit obligations represents the actuarial present value of
benefits payable in the next 12 months exceeding the fair value of
plan assets, measured on a plan-by-plan basis. This obligation is
recorded in compensation and benefits in the Consolidated State-
ment of Financial Position.
Net periodic pension and nonpension postretirement benefit
cost/(income) is recorded in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings
and includes service cost, interest cost, expected return on plan
assets, amortization of prior service costs/(credits) and (gains)/
losses previously recognized as a component of OCI and amortiza-
tion of the net transition asset remaining in accumulated other
comprehensive income/(loss) (AOCI). Service cost represents the
actuarial present value of participant benefits earned in the current
year. Interest cost represents the time value of money cost associ-
ated with the passage of time. Certain events, such as changes in
the employee base, plan amendments and changes in actuarial
assumptions, result in a change in the benefit obligation and
the corresponding change in OCI. The result of these events is
amortized as a component of net periodic cost/(income) over
the service lives or life expectancy of the participants, depending
on the plan, provided such amounts exceed thresholds which are
based upon the benefit obligation or the value of plan assets. Net
periodic cost/(income) is recorded in Cost, SG&A and RD&E in the
Consolidated Statement of Earnings based on the employees’
respective functions.
(Gains)/losses and prior service costs/(credits) not recognized
as a component of net periodic cost/(income) in the Consolidated
Statement of Earnings as they arise are recognized as a component
of OCI in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income.
Those (gains)/losses and prior service costs/(credits) are subse-
quently recognized as a component of net periodic cost/(income)
pursuant to the recognition and amortization provisions of appli -
cable accounting guidance. (Gains)/losses arise as a result of
differences between actual experience and assumptions or as a
result of changes in actuarial assumptions. Prior service costs/
(credits) represent the cost of benefit changes attributable to prior
service granted in plan amendments.
The measurement of benefit obligations and net periodic cost/
(income) is based on estimates and assumptions approved by the
company’s management. These valuations reflect the terms of the
plans and use participant-specific information such as compensation,
age and years of service, as well as certain assumptions, including
estimates of discount rates, expected return on plan assets, rate of
compensation increases, interest crediting rates and mortality rates.