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Our Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)
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12 Months Ended | ||||||||||||
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Dec. 29, 2012
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| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |||||||||||||
| Revenue Recognition | Revenue Recognition We recognize revenue upon shipment or delivery to our customers based on written sales terms that do not allow for a right of return. However, our policy for DSD and certain chilled products is to remove and replace damaged and out-of-date products from store shelves to ensure that consumers receive the product quality and freshness they expect. Similarly, our policy for certain warehouse-distributed products is to replace damaged and out-of-date products. Based on our experience with this practice, we have reserved for anticipated damaged and out-of-date products. For additional unaudited information on our revenue recognition and related policies, including our policy on bad debts, see “Our Critical Accounting Policies” in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. We are exposed to concentration of credit risk by our customers, including Wal-Mart. In 2012, Wal-Mart (including Sam’s) represented approximately 11% of our total net revenue, including concentrate sales to our independent bottlers which are used in finished goods sold by them to Wal-Mart. We have not experienced credit issues with these customers. |
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| Sales Incentives And Other Marketplace Spending | Total Marketplace Spending We offer sales incentives and discounts through various programs to customers and consumers. Total marketplace spending includes sales incentives, discounts, advertising and other marketing activities. Sales incentives and discounts are primarily accounted for as a reduction of revenue and totaled $34.7 billion in 2012, $34.6 billion in 2011 and $29.1 billion in 2010. Sales incentives and discounts include payments to customers for performing merchandising activities on our behalf, such as payments for in-store displays, payments to gain distribution of new products, payments for shelf space and discounts to promote lower retail prices. It also includes support provided to our independent bottlers through funding of advertising and other marketing activities. While most of these incentive arrangements have terms of no more than one year, certain arrangements, such as fountain pouring rights, may extend beyond one year. Costs incurred to obtain these arrangements are recognized over the shorter of the economic or contractual life, as a reduction of revenue, and the remaining balances of $335 million as of December 29, 2012 and $313 million as of December 31, 2011, are included in current assets and other assets on our balance sheet. For additional unaudited information on our sales incentives, see “Our Critical Accounting Policies” in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. Advertising and other marketing activities, reported as selling, general and administrative expenses, totaled $3.7 billion in 2012, $3.5 billion in 2011 and $3.4 billion in 2010, including advertising expenses of $2.2 billion in 2012 and $1.9 billion in both 2011 and 2010. Deferred advertising costs are not expensed until the year first used and consist of:
Deferred advertising costs of $88 million and $163 million at year-end 2012 and 2011, respectively, are classified as prepaid expenses on our balance sheet. |
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| Distribution Costs | Distribution Costs Distribution costs, including the costs of shipping and handling activities, are reported as selling, general and administrative expenses. Shipping and handling expenses were $9.1 billion in 2012, $9.2 billion in 2011 and $7.7 billion in 2010. |
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| Cash Equivalents | Cash Equivalents Cash equivalents are highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less. |
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| Software Costs | Software Costs We capitalize certain computer software and software development costs incurred in connection with developing or obtaining computer software for internal use when both the preliminary project stage is completed and it is probable that the software will be used as intended. Capitalized software costs include only (i) external direct costs of materials and services utilized in developing or obtaining computer software, (ii) compensation and related benefits for employees who are directly associated with the software project and (iii) interest costs incurred while developing internal-use computer software. Capitalized software costs are included in property, plant and equipment on our balance sheet and amortized on a straight-line basis when placed into service over the estimated useful lives of the software, which approximate 5 to 10 years. Software amortization totaled $196 million in 2012, $156 million in 2011 and $137 million in 2010. Net capitalized software and development costs were $1.1 billion as of December 29, 2012 and $1.3 billion as of December 31, 2011. |
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| Commitments And Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies We are subject to various claims and contingencies related to lawsuits, certain taxes and environmental matters, as well as commitments under contractual and other commercial obligations. We recognize liabilities for contingencies and commitments when a loss is probable and estimable. For additional information on our commitments, see Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements. |
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| Research And Development | Research and Development We engage in a variety of research and development activities and continue to invest to accelerate growth in these activities and to drive innovation globally. These activities principally involve the development of new products, improvement in the quality of existing products, improvement and modernization of production processes, and the development and implementation of new technologies to enhance the quality and value of both current and proposed product lines. Consumer research is excluded from research and development costs and included in other marketing costs. Research and development costs were $552 million in 2012, $525 million in 2011 and $488 million in 2010 and are reported within selling, general and administrative expenses. |
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| Recent Accounting Pronouncements | Recent Accounting Pronouncements In July 2012, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued new accounting guidance that permits an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative impairment test. An entity would continue to calculate the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset if the asset fails the qualitative assessment, while no further analysis would be required if it passes. The provisions of the new guidance are effective as of the beginning of our 2013 fiscal year. We do not expect the new guidance to have an impact on the 2013 impairment test results. In September 2011, the FASB issued new accounting guidance that permits an entity to first assess qualitative factors of whether it is more likely than not that a reporting unit’s fair value is less than its carrying amount before applying the two-step goodwill impairment test. An entity would continue to perform the historical first step of the impairment test if it fails the qualitative assessment, while no further analysis would be required if it passes. The provisions of the new guidance were effective for, and had no impact on, our 2012 annual goodwill impairment test results. In December 2011, the FASB issued new disclosure requirements that are intended to enhance current disclosures on offsetting financial assets and liabilities. The new disclosures require an entity to disclose both gross and net information about derivative instruments accounted for in accordance with the guidance on derivatives and hedging that are eligible for offset on the balance sheet and instruments and transactions subject to an agreement similar to a master netting arrangement. The provisions of the new disclosure requirements are effective as of the beginning of our 2014 fiscal year. We are currently evaluating the impact of the new guidance on our financial statements. In September 2011, the FASB amended its guidance regarding the disclosure requirements for employers participating in multiemployer pension and other postretirement benefit plans (multiemployer plans) to improve transparency and increase awareness of the commitments and risks involved with participation in multiemployer plans. The new accounting guidance requires employers participating in multiemployer plans to provide additional quantitative and qualitative disclosures to provide users with more detailed information regarding an employer’s involvement in multiemployer plans. The provisions of this new guidance were effective as of the beginning of our 2011 fiscal year and did not have a material impact on our financial statements. In June 2011, the FASB amended its accounting guidance on the presentation of comprehensive income in financial statements to improve the comparability, consistency and transparency of financial reporting and to increase the prominence of items that are recorded in other comprehensive income. The new accounting guidance requires entities to report components of comprehensive income in either (1) a continuous statement of comprehensive income or (2) two separate but consecutive statements. The provisions of the guidance were effective as of the beginning of our 2012 fiscal year. Accordingly, we have presented the components of net income and other comprehensive income for the fiscal years ended December 29, 2012, December 31, 2011 and December 25, 2010 as separate but consecutive statements. In February 2013, the FASB issued guidance that would require an entity to provide enhanced footnote disclosures to explain the effect of reclassification adjustments on other comprehensive income by component and provide tabular disclosure in the footnotes showing the effect of items reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income on the line items of net income. The provisions of this new guidance are effective as of the beginning of our 2013 fiscal year. We do not expect the adoption of this new guidance to have a material impact on our financial statements. In the second quarter of 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was signed into law. The PPACA changes the tax treatment related to an existing retiree drug subsidy (RDS) available to sponsors of retiree health benefit plans that provide a benefit that is at least actuarially equivalent to the benefits under Medicare Part D. As a result of the PPACA, RDS payments will effectively become taxable in tax years beginning in 2013, by requiring the amount of the subsidy received to be offset against our deduction for health care expenses. The provisions of the PPACA required us to record the effect of this tax law change beginning in our second quarter of 2010, and consequently we recorded a one-time related tax charge of $41 million in the second quarter of 2010. In the first quarter of 2012, we began pre-paying funds within our 401(h) voluntary employee beneficiary associations (VEBA) trust to fully cover prescription drug benefit liabilities for Medicare eligible retirees. As a result, the receipt of future Medicare subsidy payments for prescription drugs will not be taxable and consequently we recorded a $55 million tax benefit reflecting this change in the first quarter of 2012. |