AVY, §1A diff (2015 → 2016)

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS The factors and risks discussed below, as well as the matters that are generally set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents incorporated herein by reference, could materially adversely affect our business, including our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition, and cause the value of our securities to decline. The risks described below are not exhaustive. Our ability to attain our goals and objectives is dependent on numerous factors and risks, including but not limited to, the following: The demand for our products is impacted by the effects of, and changes in, worldwide economic, political and market conditions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. In 2015, approximately 74% of our sales were from international operations. We have operations in over 50 countries and our domestic and international operations are strongly influenced by matters beyond our control, including changes in political, social, economic and labor conditions, tax laws (including U.S. taxes on foreign earnings), and international trade regulations (including tariffs), as well as the impact of these changes on the underlying demand for our products. Macroeconomic developments such as continued slower growth in China and parts of South America, the ongoing restructuring efforts relating to European sovereign and other debt obligations, the weakening of local economies in which we operate and uncertainty in the global credit or financial markets leading to the loss of consumer confidence could result in a material adverse effect on our business as a result of, among other things, reduced consumer spending, declines in asset valuations, diminished liquidity and credit availability, volatility in securities prices, credit rating downgrades, and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, such as the recent decline in the value of the euro and Chinese yuan (renminbi). These declines could result in a variety of negative effects, including lower revenues, increased costs, lower gross margin percentages, increased allowances for doubtful accounts and/or write-offs of accounts receivable, and required recognition of impairments of capitalized assets, including goodwill and other intangibles. In addition, business and operational disruptions or delays caused by political, social or economic instability and unrest - such as the ongoing significant civil, political and economic disturbances in places like Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Iraq and the related impact on global stability, terrorist attacks and the potential for other hostilities, public health crises or natural disasters in various parts of the world - could contribute to a climate of economic and political uncertainty that in turn could have material adverse effects on our business. We are not able to predict the duration and severity of adverse economic, political or market conditions in the U.S. or other countries. We are affected by competitive conditions and customer preferences. If we do not compete effectively, we could lose market share or reduce selling prices to maintain market share, which could materially adversely affect our business. We are at risk that our competitors, which include certain of our distributors, will expand in our key market segments and implement new technologies, enhancing their competitive position relative to ours. Competitors also may be able to offer additional products, services, lower prices, or other incentives that we cannot or would not offer or that would make our products less profitable. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete successfully against current or future competitors. We also are at risk to changes in customer order patterns, such as changes in the levels of inventory maintained by customers and the timing of customer purchases, which may be affected by announced price changes, changes in our incentive programs, or changes in the customer's ability to achieve incentive targets. Changes in customers' preferences for our products can also affect the demand for our products. Decline in demand for our products could have a material adverse effect on our business. As a manufacturer, our sales and profitability are dependent upon the cost and availability of raw materials and energy, which are subject to price fluctuations, and our ability to control or pass on raw material and labor costs. Raw material cost increases could materially adversely affect our business. The environment for raw materials used in our businesses could become challenging and volatile, impacting availability and pricing. Additionally, energy costs can be volatile and unpredictable. Shortages and inflationary or other increases in the costs of raw materials, labor and energy have occurred in the past, and could recur. In addition, we are subject to rules adopted by the SEC pursuant to Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act requiring disclosure concerning the use of certain minerals that are mined from the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries ("Conflict Mineral Rules"). In an effort to verify our products as "conflict-free," we could make alternative sourcing and supply decisions for materials used in certain of our products, which could materially adversely affect our pricing terms, particularly if suppliers incur significant additional costs and expenses in making the determinations required to conduct this verification process or if the number of suppliers offering minerals identified as "conflict free" is limited. Our performance depends in part on our ability to pass on cost increases for raw materials to customers by raising the selling prices for our products and our ability to improve productivity. Depending on market dynamics and the terms of customer contracts, our ability to recover any increased costs of complying with conflict minerals disclosure requirements or obtaining raw materials from third party suppliers may be limited. Also, it is important for us to obtain timely delivery of materials, equipment, and other resources from suppliers, and to make timely delivery to customers. We may experience supply chain interruptions due to natural and other disasters or other events, or our existing relationships with suppliers could be terminated in the future. Any such disruption to our supply chain could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability, and any sustained interruption in our receipt of adequate supplies could have a material adverse effect on our business. Because our products are sold by third parties, our business depends in part on the financial health of these parties. Our products are sold not only by us, but also by third-party distributors as well. Some of our distributors also market products that compete with our products. Changes in the financial or business conditions, including economic weakness, market trends or industry consolidation, or the purchasing decisions of these third parties or their customers could materially adversely affect our business. We outsource some of our manufacturing. If there are significant changes in the quality control or financial or business condition of these outsourced manufacturers, our business could be negatively impacted. We manufacture most of our products, but we also occasionally use third-party manufacturers for specialty jobs or capacity overflow. Outsourcing manufacturing reduces our ability to prevent product quality issues, late deliveries, customer dissatisfaction and noncompliance with customer requirements for labor standards. Because of possible quality issues and customer dissatisfaction, deficiencies in the performance of outsourced manufacturers could have a material adverse effect on our business. Our operations and activities outside of the U.S. may subject us to risks different from and potentially greater than those associated with our domestic operations. A substantial portion of our employees and assets are located outside of the U.S. and, for the year ended January 2, 2016, approximately 74% of our sales were generated from customers located outside of the U.S. International operations and activities involve risks that are different from and potentially greater than the risks we face with respect to our domestic operations, including our less extensive knowledge of and relationships with contractors, suppliers, distributors and customers in certain of these markets; changes in foreign political, regulatory and economic conditions, including nationally, regionally and locally; materially adverse effects of changes in exchange rates for foreign currencies; challenges with respect to the repatriation of foreign earnings; challenges of complying with a wide variety of foreign laws and regulations, including those relating to sales, corporate governance, operations, taxes, employment and legal proceedings; establishing effective controls and procedures to regulate our international operations and monitor compliance with U.S. laws and regulations such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar foreign laws and regulations, including the United Kingdom's Bribery Act of 2010; differences in lending practices; challenges of complying with applicable export and import control laws and regulations; and differences in languages, cultures and time zones. The realization of any of these risks or the failure to comply with any of these laws or regulations could expose us to liabilities and have a material adverse effect on our business. Our reputation, sales, and earnings could be materially adversely affected if the quality of our products and services does not meet customer expectations. In addition, product liability claims or regulatory actions could materially adversely affect our financial results or reputation. There are occasions when we experience product quality issues resulting from defective materials, manufacturing, packaging or design. Many of these issues are discovered before shipping, causing delays in shipping, delays in the manufacturing process, and occasionally cancelled orders. When issues are discovered after shipment, they may result in additional shipping costs, discounts, refunds, or loss of future sales. Both pre-shipping and post-shipping quality issues could have material adverse effects on our business and negatively impact our reputation. Claims for losses or injuries purportedly caused by some of our products arise in the ordinary course of our business. In addition to the risk of substantial monetary judgments and penalties that could have a material adverse effect on our business, product liability claims or regulatory actions could result in negative publicity that could harm our reputation in the marketplace and the value of our brands. We also could be required to recall and possibly discontinue the sale of potentially defective or unsafe products, which could result in adverse publicity and significant expenses. Although we maintain product liability insurance coverage, potential product liability claims are subject to a deductible or could be excluded under the terms of the policy. Changes in our business strategies may increase our costs and could affect the profitability of our businesses. As our business environment changes, we may need to adjust our business strategies or restructure our operations or particular businesses. In 2015, we announced a new multi-year plan for our RBIS segment focused on accelerating growth through a more regionally driven business model intended to simplify our go-to-market market strategy, optimize management efficiencies and consolidate our manufacturing footprint. In addition, we have initiated restructuring and investment actions across our businesses designed to increase profitability. As we continue to develop and adjust our growth strategies, we may invest in new businesses that have short-term returns that are negative or low and whose ultimate business prospects are uncertain or unprofitable. For example, in the fourth quarter of 2015, we made the decision to exit one of our anticipated growth platforms in the Vancive segment in order to refocus our efforts on more profitable strategic alternatives. We cannot provide assurance that we will achieve the intended results of any of our business strategies, which involve operational complexities, consume management attention and require substantial resources and effort. If we fail to achieve the intended results of such actions, our costs could increase, our assets could be impaired, and our returns on investments could be lower. Our growth strategy includes increased concentration in emerging markets, which could create greater exposure to unstable political conditions, civil unrest, economic volatility and other risks applicable to international operations. An increasing percentage of our sales are derived from emerging markets, including countries in Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. The profitable growth of our business in emerging markets is a significant focus of our long-term growth strategy. If we are unable to successfully expand our business in emerging markets or achieve the return on capital we expect as a result of our investments in these countries, our financial performance could be materially adversely affected. In addition to the risks applicable to our international operations, factors that could have a material adverse effect on our operations in these developing and emerging markets include the lack of well-established or reliable legal systems and possible disruptions due to unstable political conditions, civil unrest or economic volatility. These factors could result in decreased consumer purchasing power, reduced demand for our products or an impaired ability to achieve our long-term growth strategy, thereby having a material adverse effect on our business. If we are unable to develop and successfully market new products and applications, we could compromise our competitive position. The timely introduction of new products and improvements in current products helps determine our success. Many of our current products are the result of our research and development efforts. Our research efforts are directed primarily toward developing new products and operating techniques and improving product performance, often in close association with our customers or end users. These efforts include patent and product development work relating to printing and coating technologies, as well as adhesive, release and ink chemistries. Additionally, we focus on research projects related to RFID in our RBIS segment and medical technologies in Vancive, for both of which we hold and license a number of patents. However, research and development is complex and uncertain, requiring innovation and anticipation of market trends. We could focus on products that ultimately are not accepted by customers or end users or we could suffer delays in the production or launch of new products that may not lead to the recovery of our research and development expenditures and, as a result, could compromise our competitive position. Miscalculation of our infrastructure needs could have a material adverse effect on our business. We may not be able to recoup the costs of our infrastructure investments if actual demand is not as we anticipate. For example, in September 2015, we completed an expansion of our manufacturing facility located in Kunshan, China and added a new coater to meet our projected demand for pressure-sensitive tapes in China. Our investment in the Kunshan facility and other infrastructure investments generally are long-term in nature, and it is possible that these investments may not generate the expected return due to changes in the marketplace, failures to complete implementation, and other factors. Significant changes from our expected need for and/or returns on our infrastructure investments could materially adversely affect our business. Our future profitability may be materially adversely affected if we generate less productivity improvement than projected. We engage in restructuring actions intended to reduce our costs and increase efficiencies across our business segments. We intend to continue efforts to reduce costs in our operations, which have in the past included, and may continue to include, facility closures and square footage reductions, headcount reductions, organizational restructuring, process standardization, and manufacturing relocation. The success of these efforts is not assured and lower levels of productivity could reduce profitability. In addition, cost reduction actions could expose us to production risk, loss of sales and employee turnover. Foreign currency exchange rates, and fluctuations in those rates, may materially adversely affect our business. With approximately 74% of our sales for the fiscal year ending January 2, 2016 arising from foreign sales, we are subject to fluctuations in foreign currencies, such as the euro, the Chinese yuan (renminbi), and the British pound, which can cause transaction, translation and other losses, and could negatively impact our sales and profitability. Margins on sales of our products in foreign countries could be materially adversely affected by foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. We monitor our foreign currency exposures and may, from time to time, use hedging instruments to mitigate transactional exposure to changes in foreign currencies. The effectiveness of our hedges in part depends on our ability to accurately forecast future cash flows, which is particularly difficult during periods of uncertain demand for our products and services and highly volatile exchange rates. Further, hedging activities may only offset a portion, or none at all, of the material adverse financial effects of unfavorable movements in foreign exchange rates over the limited time the hedges are in place and we may incur significant losses from hedging activities due to factors such as demand volatility and currency fluctuations. Additionally, concerns regarding the short- and long-term stability of the euro and its ability to serve as a single currency for countries in the Eurozone could lead individual countries to revert, or threaten to revert, to their former local currencies, potentially dislocating the euro. If this were to occur, the assets we hold in a country that re-introduces its local currency could be significantly devalued, the cost of raw materials or our manufacturing operations could substantially increase, and the demand and pricing for our products could be materially adversely affected. Furthermore, if it were to become necessary for us to conduct business in additional currencies, we could be subject to additional earnings volatility as amounts in these currencies are translated into U.S. dollars. We have acquired companies and may continue to acquire other companies. Acquisitions come with significant risks and uncertainties, including those related to integration, technology and personnel. To grow our product lines and expand into new markets, we have made acquisitions in the past and may do so in the future. Various risks, uncertainties, and costs are associated with acquisitions. Effective integration of systems, controls, objectives, personnel, product lines, market segments, customers, suppliers, and production facilities and cost savings can be difficult to achieve, and the results of integration actions are uncertain, particularly given our geographically dispersed organization. In addition, we may not be able to retain key personnel of an acquired company or successfully execute integration strategies and achieve projected performance targets for the business segment into which an acquired company is integrated. Both before and after the closing of an acquisition, our business and those of the acquired company or companies may suffer due to uncertainty or diversion of management attention. There can be no assurance that any acquisitions will be successful and contribute to our profitability and we may not be able to identify or execute new acquisition opportunities in the future. Divestures of any of our businesses or product lines could have a material adverse effect on our business. We continually evaluate the performance of our businesses and may determine to sell a business or product line. While we believe these divestures are in the best interests of our long-term strategy, they may result in significant write-offs or impairments of assets, including goodwill and other intangible assets. For example, we completed the sale of certain of our assets and liabilities associated with a product line in our RBIS segment in May 2015 at a loss and incurred impairment charges as well as exit costs, including costs associated with severance payments. Any future divestitures we undertake may also involve additional risks, including separation of operations, products and personnel, diversion of management attention, disruption to our other businesses and loss of key employees. We may not successfully manage these or other risks we may confront in divesting a business or product line, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Difficulty in the collection of receivables as a result of economic conditions or other market factors could have a material adverse effect on our business. Although we have processes to administer credit granted to customers and believe our allowance for doubtful accounts is adequate, we have experienced, and in the future may experience, losses as a result of our inability to collect certain accounts receivable. The financial difficulties of a customer could result in reduced business with that customer. We may also assume higher credit risk relating to receivables of a customer experiencing financial difficulty. If these developments occur, our inability to collect on our accounts receivable from major customers could substantially reduce our cash flows and income and have a material adverse effect on our business. Changes in our tax rates could affect our future results. Our future effective tax rate could be affected by changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, or changes in tax laws and regulations or their interpretation. There can be no assurance that these changes will not have a material adverse effect on our business. The amount of various taxes we pay is subject to ongoing compliance requirements and audits by federal, state and foreign tax authorities. We are subject to regular examinations of our income tax returns by various tax authorities. We regularly assess the likelihood of material adverse outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for taxes. In addition, tax enforcement has become increasingly aggressive in recent years, including recent actions by the European Commission related to disallowed state aid, with increased focus on transfer pricing and intercompany documentation. Our estimate of the potential outcome of uncertain tax issues is subject to our assessment of relevant risks, facts, and circumstances existing at the time. We use these assessments to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes and other tax-related accounts. Our future results may include favorable or unfavorable adjustments to our estimated tax liabilities in the period the assessments are made or resolved, which may materially adversely impact our effective tax rate and have a material adverse effect on our business. We have deferred tax assets that we may not be able to realize under certain circumstances. If we are unable to generate sufficient future taxable income in certain jurisdictions, or if there is a significant change in the time period within which the underlying temporary differences become taxable or deductible, we could be required to increase our valuation allowances against our deferred tax assets. This would result in an increase in our effective tax rate and could have a material adverse effect on our future results. In addition, changes in statutory tax rates may change our deferred tax asset or liability balances, with either a favorable or unfavorable impact on our effective tax rate. The computation and assessment of realizability of our deferred tax assets may also be materially impacted by new legislation or regulations. Potential tax liabilities and proposed changes in U.S. tax legislation could materially impact our business. In 2015, approximately 74% of our sales were generated from customers located outside of the U.S., and a substantial portion of our assets and employees were located outside of the U.S. While we are taxed by local authorities on earnings from these sales, we have not accrued U.S. income taxes or foreign withholding taxes on unrepatriated earnings for most non-U.S. subsidiaries because we intend to indefinitely reinvest in the operations of those subsidiaries. Our results of operations and cash flows from operating activities may be materially adversely affected if tax rules regarding unrepatriated earnings change, if changes in our domestic cash needs require us to repatriate foreign earnings for which no tax provisions have been made, or if the U.S. international tax rules change as part of comprehensive tax reform or other tax legislation. Significant disruption to the information technology infrastructure that stores our information could materially adversely affect our business. We rely on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of a large and complex information technology infrastructure to link our global business. Like other information technology systems, ours is susceptible to a number of risks including, but not limited to, damage or interruptions resulting from a variety of causes such as obsolescence, natural disasters, power failures, human error, viruses, social engineering, phishing, or other malicious attacks and data security breaches. We upgrade and install new systems, which, if installed or programmed incorrectly or on a delayed timeframe, could cause delays or cancellations of customer orders, impede the manufacture or shipment of products, or disrupt the processing of transactions. We have implemented measures to mitigate our risk related to system and network disruptions, but if a disruption were to occur, we could incur significant losses and remediation costs that could have a material adverse effect on our business. Additionally, we rely on services provided by third-party vendors for a significant portion of our information technology support, development and implementation, which makes our operations vulnerable to a failure by any one of these vendors to perform adequately or maintain effective internal controls. Security breaches could compromise our information and expose us to liability, which could cause our business and reputation to suffer. We maintain information necessary to conduct our business in digital form, which is stored in data centers and on our networks and third-party cloud services, including confidential and proprietary information as well as personal information regarding our customers and employees. The secure maintenance of this information is critical to our operations. Data maintained in digital form is subject to the risk of intrusion, tampering and theft. We develop and maintain systems to prevent this from occurring, but the development and maintenance of these systems is costly and requires ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures become more sophisticated. Moreover, despite our efforts, the possibility of intrusion, tampering and theft cannot be eliminated entirely. Our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. Additionally, we provide confidential, proprietary and personal information to third parties when it is necessary to pursue business objectives. While we obtain assurances that these third parties will protect this information and, where appropriate, assess the protections employed by these third parties, there is a risk the confidentiality of data held by third parties may be compromised. Any such breach or attack could compromise our network, the network of a third party to whom we have disclosed confidential, proprietary or personal information, a data center where we have stored such information or a third-party cloud service provider, and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, disrupt our operations, damage our reputation, impair our ability to conduct business, or result in the loss or diminished value of profitable opportunities and the loss of revenue as a result of unlicensed use of our intellectual property. Contractual provisions with third parties, including cloud service providers, may limit our ability to recover these losses. If personal information of our customers or employees were misappropriated, our reputation with our customers and employees could be injured, resulting in loss of business or morale, and we could incur costs to compensate our customers or employees or pay damages or fines as a result of litigation or regulatory actions arising out of any such incident. From time to time, we have experienced unauthorized intrusions into our network, and although these intrusions did not have a material adverse effect on our business, this may not be the case going forward. Following these attacks, we have taken additional steps designed to improve the security of our networks and computer systems. Despite these defensive measures, there can be no assurance that we are adequately protecting our information, that third parties to whom we have disclosed such information or with whom we have stored such information (in data centers and on the cloud) are taking similar precautions, or that we will not continue to experience future intrusions. For us to remain competitive, it is important to recruit and retain our key management and highly-skilled employees. We also utilize various outsourcing arrangements for certain services, and related delays, resource availability, or errors by these service providers may lead to increased costs or disruption in our business. There is significant competition to recruit and retain key management and highly-skilled employees. In particular, due to expansion to additional geographies and our ongoing productivity efforts and recent employee restructuring actions, it may be difficult for us to recruit and retain sufficient numbers of highly-skilled employees. We may also be unable to recruit and retain key management and highly-skilled employees if we do not offer market-competitive employment and compensation terms. If we fail to recruit or retain our key management or sufficient numbers of highly-skilled employees, we could experience disruption in our businesses and difficulties managing our operations and implementing our business strategy. Executive succession planning is also important to our long-term success. For example, we experienced several recent key management changes, including the appointments of a Chief Operating Officer during 2014 and a new Chief Financial Officer during 2015. While we believe we have appropriate succession procedures in place, any failure to ensure effective transfer of knowledge and smooth transitions involving any of our key management or other highly-skilled employees could hinder our strategic planning and execution. In addition, we have outsourced certain services to third-party service providers, and may outsource other services in the future to achieve cost savings and operating efficiencies. Service provider delays, resource availability, business issues or errors may disrupt our businesses and/or increase costs. If we do not effectively develop, implement and manage outsourcing relationships, if third-party providers do not perform effectively or in a timely manner, or if we experience problems with transitioning work to a third party, we may not be able to achieve our expected cost savings, and may experience delays or incur additional costs to correct errors made by these service providers. Our share price may be volatile. Changes in our stock price may affect our access to, or cost of financing from, capital markets and may affect our stock-based compensation arrangements, among other things. Our stock price, which has at times experienced, and may in the future experience, substantial volatility, is influenced by changes in the overall stock market and demand for equity securities in general. Other factors, including our financial performance on a standalone basis and relative to our peers and competitors, as well as market expectations of our future performance, the level of perceived growth of our industries, and other company-specific factors, can also materially adversely affect our share price. There can be no assurance that our stock price will not be volatile in the future. If our indebtedness increases significantly or our credit ratings are downgraded, we may have difficulty obtaining acceptable short- and long-term financing. Our overall level of indebtedness and credit ratings are significant factors in our ability to obtain short- and long-term financing. Higher debt levels could negatively impact our ability to meet other business needs and could result in higher financing costs. The credit ratings assigned to us also impact the interest rates paid. A downgrade of our short-term credit ratings below our current levels could impact our ability to access the commercial paper markets and increase our borrowing costs. If our access to commercial paper markets were to become limited and we were required to obtain short-term funding under our revolving credit facility or our other credit facilities, we would face increased exposure to variable interest rates. An increase in interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our business. In 2015, our average variable-rate borrowings were approximately $175 million. Increases in short-term interest rates would directly impact the amount of interest we pay. An assumed 40 basis point move in interest rates affecting our variable-rate borrowings (10% of our weighted-average interest rate on floating rate debt) would have increased interest expense by approximately $.7 million on variable-rate borrowings in 2015. Fluctuations in interest rates can increase borrowing costs and have a material adverse effect on our business. In response to the last global economic recession, extraordinary monetary policy actions of the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banking institutions, including the utilization of quantitative easing, were taken to create and maintain a low interest rate environment. However, in December 2015, the U.S. Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point for the first time since 2006. While it is unclear whether this action suggests a change in previous monetary policy positions, including but not limited to an elimination of quantitative easing over time, any such change or market expectation of such change may result in significantly higher long-term interest rates. Such a transition may be abrupt and may, among other things, reduce the availability and/or increase the costs of obtaining new debt and refinancing existing indebtedness, and negatively impact the market price of our common stock. Our current and future debt covenants may limit our flexibility. Our credit facilities and the indentures governing our notes contain, and any of our future indebtedness likely would contain, restrictive covenants that impose operating and financial restrictions on us. Among other things, these covenants restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness, incur certain liens on our assets, make certain investments, sell our assets or merge with third parties, and enter into certain transactions. We are also required to maintain specified financial ratios under certain conditions. These restrictive covenants and ratios in our existing debt agreements and any future financing agreements may limit or prohibit us from engaging in certain activities and transactions that may be in our long-term best interests and could place us at a competitive disadvantage relative to our competitors, which could materially adversely affect our business. Additional financings may dilute the holdings of our current shareholders. In order to provide capital for the operation of our business, we may enter into additional financing arrangements. These arrangements may involve the issuance of new shares of preferred or common stock, convertible debt securities and/or warrants. Any of these issuances could result in a material increase in the number of shares of common stock outstanding, which would dilute the ownership interests of our existing common shareholders. In addition, any new securities could contain provisions, such as priorities on distributions and voting rights, that could materially adversely affect the value of our existing common stock. The level of returns on our pension and postretirement plan assets and the actuarial assumptions used for valuation purposes could affect our earnings and cash flows in future periods. Changes in accounting standards and government regulations could also affect our pension and postretirement plan expense and funding requirements. We evaluate the assumptions used in determining projected benefit obligations and the fair value of plan assets for our pension plan and other postretirement benefit plans in consultation with outside actuaries. In the event that we were to determine that changes were warranted in the assumptions used, such as the discount rate, expected long-term rate of return, or health care costs, our future pension and projected postretirement benefit expenses and funding requirements could increase or decrease. Because of changing market conditions or changes in the participant population, the actuarial assumptions that we use may differ from actual results, which could have a significant impact on our pension and postretirement liability and related costs. Funding obligations for each plan are determined based on the value of assets and liabilities on a specific date as required under applicable government regulations. Future pension funding requirements, and the timing of funding payments, could also be affected by future legislation or regulation. Our pension assets are significant and subject to market, interest and credit risk that may reduce their value. Changes in the value of our pension assets could materially adversely affect our earnings and cash flows. In particular, the value of our investments may decline due to increases in interest rates or volatility in the financial markets. Although we mitigate these risks by investing in high quality securities, ensuring adequate diversification of our investment portfolio and monitoring our portfolio's overall risk profile, the value of our investments may nevertheless decline. An impairment in the carrying value of goodwill could negatively impact our results of operations and net worth. Goodwill is initially recorded at fair value and not amortized, but is reviewed for impairment annually (or more frequently if impairment indicators are present). We review goodwill for impairment by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value. In assessing fair value, we make estimates and assumptions about sales, operating margins, growth rates, and discount rates based on our business plans, economic projections, anticipated future cash flows and marketplace data. There are inherent uncertainties related to these factors and management's judgment in applying these factors. Goodwill valuations have been calculated primarily using an income approach based on the present value of projected future cash flows of each reporting unit. We could be required to evaluate the carrying value of goodwill prior to the annual assessment if we experience disruptions to our business, unexpected significant declines in operating results, divestiture of a significant component of our business or sustained market capitalization declines. These types of events could result in goodwill impairment charges in the future. Impairment charges could substantially affect our business in the periods in which they are made. Unfavorable developments in legal proceedings, investigations and other legal, compliance and regulatory matters, could impact us in a materially adverse manner. Our financial results could be materially adversely affected by an unfavorable outcome to pending or future litigation and investigations, and other legal, compliance and regulatory matters. See "Legal Proceedings" (Part I, Item 3). In addition, the requirements set forth in the Conflict Mineral Rules required us to undertake due diligence efforts that are expected to continue into the future. We expect to continue incurring costs associated with complying with these disclosure requirements, including for conducting diligence procedures to determine the sources of conflict minerals that may be used or necessary to the production of our products and, if applicable, potential changes to products, processes or sources of supply as a consequence of these verification activities. We have identified products in certain businesses in our RBIS and Vancive segments that include metals and minerals subject to the Conflict Mineral Rules. Our due diligence efforts to verify the origins of these metals and minerals are ongoing. Our reputation may be harmed if we are not able to sufficiently verify the origins for the minerals and metals used in our products. There can be no assurance that any investigation or litigation outcome will be favorable. We are required to comply with anti-corruption laws and regulations of the U.S. government and various international jurisdictions, and our failure to comply with these laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business. We are required to comply with the anti-corruption laws and regulations of the U.S. government and various international jurisdictions, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the United Kingdom's Bribery Act of 2010. If we fail to comply with anti-corruption laws, we could be subject to substantial civil and criminal penalties, including regulatory fines, monetary damages and incarceration for responsible employees and managers. In addition, if our distributors or agents fail to comply with these laws, we may also be materially adversely affected through reputational harm and penalties. We are required to comply with global environmental, health, and safety laws. The costs of complying with these laws could materially adversely affect our business. We are subject to national, state, provincial and/or local environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations in the U.S. and abroad, including those related to the disposal of hazardous waste from our manufacturing processes. Compliance with existing and future environmental, health and safety laws could subject us to future costs or liabilities, impact our production capabilities, limit our ability to sell, expand or acquire facilities, and have a material adverse effect on our business. Environmental and product content and product safety laws and regulations can be complex and change often. We have accrued liabilities for the environmental clean-up of certain sites, including sites for which U.S. governmental agencies have designated us as a potentially responsible party, where it is probable that a loss will be incurred and the cost or amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. See "Legal Proceedings" (Part I, Item 3). However, because of the uncertainties associated with environmental assessment and remediation activities, future expense to remediate currently identified sites and other sites that could be identified for cleanup in the future could be higher than the liabilities accrued. We are subject to governmental export and import control laws and regulations in certain jurisdictions where we do business that could subject us to liability or impair our ability to compete in these markets. Certain of our products are subject to export control laws and regulations and may be exported only with an export license or through an applicable export license exception. If we fail to comply with export licensing, customs regulations, economic sanctions or other laws, we could be subject to substantial civil or criminal penalties, including economic sanctions against us, incarceration for responsible employees and managers, and the possible loss of export or import privileges. In addition, if our distributors fail to obtain appropriate import, export or re-export licenses or permits, we may also be materially adversely affected through reputational harm and penalties. Obtaining the necessary export license for a particular sale may be time consuming and expensive and could result in the delay or loss of sales opportunities. Furthermore, export control laws and economic sanctions prohibit the shipment of certain products to embargoed or sanctioned countries, governments and persons. While we train our employees to comply with these regulations, we cannot guarantee that a violation will not occur. A prohibited shipment could have negative consequences, including government investigations, penalties, fines, civil and criminal sanctions and reputational harm. Any change in export or import regulations, economic sanctions or related legislation, shift in the enforcement or scope of existing regulations, or change in the countries, governments, persons or technologies targeted by such regulations, could decrease our ability to export or sell our products internationally. Any limitation on our ability to export or sell our products could materially adversely affect our business. Infringing intellectual property rights of third parties or inadequately acquiring or protecting our intellectual property could harm our ability to compete or grow. Because our products involve complex technology and chemistry, we are involved from time to time in litigation involving patents and other intellectual property. Parties have filed, and in the future may file, claims against us alleging that we have infringed their intellectual property rights. If we were held liable for infringement, we could be required to pay damages, obtain licenses or cease making or selling certain products. There can be no assurance that licenses would be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. The defense of these claims, whether or not meritorious, or the development of new technologies could cause us to incur significant costs and divert the attention of management. We also have valuable intellectual property upon which third parties may infringe. We attempt to protect and restrict access to our intellectual property and proprietary information by relying on the patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret laws of the U.S. and other countries, as well as non-disclosure agreements. However, it may be possible for a third party to obtain our information without our authorization, independently develop similar technologies, or breach a non-disclosure agreement entered into with us. In addition, many of the countries in which we operate do not have intellectual property laws that protect proprietary rights as fully as do laws in the U.S. The use of our intellectual property by someone else without our authorization could reduce or eliminate certain competitive advantages we have, cause us to lose sales or otherwise harm our business. Further, the costs associated with protecting our intellectual property rights could materially adversely impact our business. We have obtained and applied for U.S. and foreign trademark registrations and patents, and will continue to evaluate whether to register additional trademarks and apply for additional patents. We cannot guarantee that any of the pending applications will be approved by the applicable government authorities. Further, we cannot assure that the validity of our patents or our trademarks will not be challenged. In addition, third parties may be able to develop competing products using technology that avoids our patents. We are subject to risks associated with the availability and coverage of various types of insurance. We have various types of insurance, including property, workers' compensation, general liability, and environmental liability. Insurance costs can be unpredictable and may materially adversely impact our business. We retain some portion of our insurable risks, and therefore, unforeseen or catastrophic losses in excess of insured limits could have a material adverse effect on our business. Healthcare reform legislation could have a material adverse effect on our business. During 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (together, the "ACA") were signed into law in the U.S. Certain of the provisions that could most significantly increase our healthcare costs in the near term include the removal of annual plan limits, the changes in rules regarding eligibility for dependents and the mandate that health plans cover 100% of preventative care. In addition, our healthcare costs could increase if we are required to cover more employees than we do currently or pay penalty amounts in the event that employees do not elect our offered coverage. The complexities and ramifications of the ACA are significant and being implemented through a phased approach that is expected to continue over the next several years. As a result of political, economic and regulatory influences, scrutiny of the healthcare delivery system in the United States can be expected to continue at both the state and federal levels. For example, since its enactment, there have been several changes to the ACA and the law is likely to continue to evolve during the course of its implementation. As a result, the effects of health care reform and the resulting impact on our operations are not fully known. Any changes to our healthcare cost structure could have a material adverse effect on our business. Item 1B.