Boeing 2012 Annual Report Download - page 73

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Long-lived assets held for sale are stated at the lower of cost or fair value less cost to sell. Long-lived
assets held for use are subject to an impairment assessment whenever events or changes in circumstances
indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the carrying value is no longer recoverable
based upon the undiscounted future cash flows of the asset, the amount of the impairment is the difference
between the carrying amount and the fair value of the asset.
Asset Retirement Obligations
We record all known asset retirement obligations for which the liability’s fair value can be reasonably
estimated, including certain asbestos removal, asset decommissioning and contractual lease restoration
obligations. Recorded amounts are not material.
We also have known conditional asset retirement obligations, such as certain asbestos remediation and
asset decommissioning activities to be performed in the future, that are not reasonably estimable due to
insufficient information about the timing and method of settlement of the obligation. Accordingly, these
obligations have not been recorded in the Consolidated Financial Statements. A liability for these obligations
will be recorded in the period when sufficient information regarding timing and method of settlement
becomes available to make a reasonable estimate of the liability’s fair value. In addition, there may be
conditional asset retirement obligations that we have not yet discovered (e.g. asbestos may exist in certain
buildings but we have not become aware of it through the normal course of business), and therefore, these
obligations also have not been included in the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Goodwill and Other Acquired Intangibles
Goodwill and other acquired intangible assets with indefinite lives are not amortized, but are tested for
impairment annually and when an event occurs or circumstances change such that it is more likely than
not that an impairment may exist. Our annual testing date is April 1.
We test goodwill for impairment by first comparing the carrying value of net assets to the fair value of the
related operations. If the fair value is determined to be less than carrying value, a second step is performed
to compute the amount of the impairment. In this process, a fair value for goodwill is estimated, based in
part on the fair value of the operations, and is compared to its carrying value. The shortfall of the fair value
below carrying value represents the amount of goodwill impairment.
Indefinite-lived intangibles consist of brand and trade names acquired in business combinations. We test
these intangibles for impairment by comparing their carrying value to current projections of discounted
cash flows attributable to the brand and trade names. Any excess carrying value over the amount of
discounted cash flows represents the amount of the impairment.
Our finite-lived acquired intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful
lives as follows: developed technology, from 5 to 14 years; product know-how, from 3 to 30 years; customer
base, from 3 to 19 years; distribution rights, from 3 to 30 years; and other, from 5 to 32 years. We evaluate
the potential impairment of finite-lived acquired intangible assets whenever events or changes in
circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the carrying value is no longer
recoverable based upon the undiscounted future cash flows of the asset, the amount of the impairment
is the difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of the asset.