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Significant Accounting and Reporting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Jun. 01, 2013

Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Principles of Consolidation

The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Herman Miller, Inc., and its majority-owned domestic and foreign subsidiaries. The consolidated entities are collectively referred to as “the company.” All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in the Consolidated Financial Statements. Nonconsolidated affiliates (20-50 percent owned companies) are accounted for using the equity method.

Fiscal Period, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Fiscal Year

The company's fiscal year ends on the Saturday closest to May 31. The fiscal year ended June 1, 2013 contains 52 weeks. The fiscal year ended June 2, 2012 contains 53 weeks, while the fiscal year ended May 28, 2011 contains 52 weeks. An extra week in the company's fiscal year is required approximately every six years in order to realign its fiscal calendar-end dates with the actual calendar months.

Foreign Currency Transactions and Translations Policy [Policy Text Block]

Foreign Currency Translation

The functional currency for foreign subsidiaries is their local currency. The cumulative effects of translating the balance sheet accounts from the functional currency into the United States dollar using fiscal year-end exchange rates and translating revenue and expense accounts using average exchange rates for the period is reflected as a component of “Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)” in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The financial statement impact of remeasuring all foreign currency transactions into the appropriate functional currency resulted in a net loss of $1.3 million, $1.3 million and $2.0 million for the fiscal years ended June 1, 2013, June 2, 2012 and May 28, 2011, respectively. These amounts are included in “Other Expenses (Income)” in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Cash Equivalents

The company holds cash equivalents as part of its cash management function. Cash equivalents include money market funds, time deposit investments, and treasury bills with original maturities of less than three months. The carrying value of cash equivalents, which approximates fair value, totaled $5.9 million and $4.5 million as of June 1, 2013 and June 2, 2012, respectively. All cash and cash equivalents are high-credit quality financial instruments, and the amount of credit exposure to any one financial institution or instrument is limited.

Marketable Securities, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Marketable Securities

The company maintains a portfolio of marketable securities primarily comprised of investment-grade, fixed-income securities. These investments are held by the company's wholly owned insurance captive and are considered “available-for-sale” securities. Accordingly, they have been recorded at fair value based on quoted market prices, with the resulting net unrealized holding gains or losses reflected net of tax as a component of “Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss” in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

All marketable security transactions are recognized on the trade date. Realized gains and losses on disposal of available-for-sale investments are included in “Interest and other investment income” in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. See Note 12 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional disclosures of marketable securities.

Trade and Other Accounts Receivable, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Accounts Receivable Allowances

Reserves for uncollectible accounts receivable balances are based on known customer exposures, historical credit experience, and the specific identification of other potentially uncollectible accounts. Balances are written off against the reserve once the company determines the probability of collection to be remote. The company generally does not require collateral or other security on trade accounts receivable.

Concentrations of Credit Risk [Policy Text Block]

Concentrations of Credit Risk

Our trade receivables are primarily due from independent dealers who, in turn, carry receivables from their customers. We monitor and manage the credit risk associated with individual dealers and direct customers where applicable. Dealers are responsible for assessing and assuming credit risk of their customers and may require their customers to provide deposits, letters of credit or other credit enhancement measures. Some sales contracts are structured such that the customer payment or obligation is direct to us. In those cases, we may assume the credit risk. Whether from dealers or customers, our trade credit exposures are not concentrated with any particular entity.

Inventory, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Inventories

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market and include material, labor, and overhead. Inventory cost is determined using the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method at the manufacturing sites in Michigan, whereas inventories of the company's other subsidiaries are valued using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. The company establishes reserves for excess and obsolete inventory, based on prevailing circumstances and judgment for consideration of current events, such as economic conditions, that may affect inventory. The reserve required to record inventory at lower of cost or market may be adjusted in response to changing conditions. Once elected, the company has applied these inventory cost valuation methods consistently from year to year. Further information on the company's recorded inventory balances can be found in Note 3 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Property, Equipment, and Depreciation

Property and equipment are stated at cost. The cost is depreciated over the estimated useful lives of the assets, using the straight-line method. Estimated useful lives range from 3 to 10 years for machinery and equipment and do not exceed 40 years for buildings. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the lesser of the lease term or the useful life of the asset, not to exceed 10 years. We capitalize certain external and internal costs incurred in connection with the development, testing, and installation of software for internal use. Software for internal use is included in property and equipment and is depreciated over an estimated useful life not exceeding 5 years. Depreciation and amortization expense is included in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income in the "Cost of sales", "Selling, general and administrative" and "Design and research" line items.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Intangible Assets, Indefinite-Lived, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Goodwill and Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets

The company performs an annual impairment test, by reporting unit, to determine whether the asset values are impaired. A reporting unit is defined as an operating segment or one level below an operating segment.

The company also evaluates its acquired intangible assets at acquisition to determine whether any have “indefinite useful lives.” Intangible assets with indefinite useful lives, are not subject to amortization. The company's indefinite-lived intangible assets consist of certain trade names valued at approximately $62.3 million and $39.3 million as of fiscal year 2013 and 2012, respectively. These assets have indefinite useful lives and are evaluated annually for impairment using the relief from royalty method. The company measures and records an impairment loss for the excess of the carrying value of the asset over its fair value.

The company recorded impairment of $3.8 million for the indefinite-lived intangible assets related to two healthcare trade names during the fiscal year 2012. The impairment was the result of the company’s strategy to reduce its portfolio of healthcare brands and begin marketing the related products under the Nemschoff trade name. The impairment is recorded in the restructuring and impairment expense line in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income and is included in the "Corporate" category within the segment reporting and represents a level 3 fair value measurement.

Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Intangible Assets, Impairment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Long-Lived Assets

The company reviews other long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or an asset group may not be recoverable. Each impairment test is based on a comparison of the carrying amount of the asset or asset group to the future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset or asset group or in some cases by prices for similar assets. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment amount to be recognized is the amount by which the carrying value of the assets exceeds their fair value. During fiscal 2012, the company recorded an impairment expense of $1.4 million related to fixed assets in connection with the 2012 restructuring plan. The impairment charge was recorded in "Restructuring and impairment expenses" within the "Corporate" category within the segment reporting.

Amortizable intangible assets within "Other amortizable intangibles, net" in the Consolidated Balance Sheets consists primarily of patents, trademarks and customer relationships. Refer to the table below for the combined gross carrying value and accumulated amortization for these amortizable intangibles. Note that the increase in amortizable intangibles compared to the prior year was driven primarily by the Maharam acquisition.

Intangible Assets, Finite-Lived, Policy [Policy Text Block]

The company amortizes these assets over their remaining useful lives using the straight-line method over periods ranging from 5 to 20 years. It is estimated that the average remaining life of such patents and trademarks is approximately 5 years and 7 years, respectively. The estimated average remaining life of the customer relationships is 15 years.

Self Insurance, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Self-Insurance

The company is partially self-insured for general liability, workers' compensation, and certain employee health and dental benefits under insurance arrangements that provide for third-party coverage of claims exceeding the company's loss retention levels. The company's health benefits retention level does not include an aggregate stop loss policy. The company's retention levels designated within significant insurance arrangements as of June 1, 2013, are as follows:



(In millions)	Retention Level (per occurrence)
General liability and auto liability/physical damage	$	1.00
Workers' compensation and property	$	0.75
Health benefits	$	0.50

The company's policy is to accrue amounts equal to the actuarially-determined liabilities for loss and loss adjustment expenses, which are included in “Other liabilities” in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The actuarial valuations are based on historical information along with certain assumptions about future events. Changes in assumptions for such matters as legal actions, medical costs, and changes in actual experience could cause these estimates to change. The general and workers' compensation liabilities are managed through the company's wholly-owned insurance captive.

Research and Development Expense, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Research, Development, and Other Related Costs

Research, development, pre-production, and start-up costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development (R&D) costs consist of expenditures incurred during the course of planned research and investigation aimed at discovery of new knowledge useful in developing new products or processes. R&D costs also include the significant enhancement of existing products or production processes and the implementation of such through design, testing of product alternatives, or construction of prototypes. Research and development costs included in “Design and research” expense in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income are $48.3 million, 41.0 million, and $35.4 million, in fiscal 2013, 2012, and 2011, respectively.

Royalty payments made to designers of the company's products as the products are sold are a variable cost based on product sales. These expenses totaled $11.6 million, $11.7 million, and $10.4 million in fiscal years 2013, 2012, and 2011 respectively. They are included in "Design and Research" expense in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

Advertising Cost, Policy, Expensed Advertising Cost [Policy Text Block]

Advertising Costs

Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and are included in “Selling, general, and administrative” expense in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Advertising costs were $3.5 million, $4.4 million, and $2.3 million, in fiscal 2013, 2012, and 2011, respectively.

Revenue Recognition, Incentives [Policy Text Block]

Customer Payments and Incentives

We offer various sales incentive programs to our customers, such as rebates, discounts and cooperative advertising programs. Programs such as rebates and discounts are adjustments to the selling price and are therefore characterized as a reduction to net sales. The cooperative advertising program, whereby customers are reimbursed for company approved advertising expenditures, provides us with an identifiable benefit from the advertisement at a verifiable market rate. Therefore, the cost of the cooperative advertising program is recognized as an operating expense and is included in the "Selling, general and administrative" line in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. We recognized operating expense related to our cooperative advertising program of $2.0 million, $2.0 million and $1.5 million in fiscal 2013, 2012, and 2011, respectively.

Revenue Recognition, Sales of Goods [Policy Text Block]

Revenue Recognition

The company recognizes revenue on sales through its network of independent contract furniture dealers and independent retailers once the related product is shipped and title passes. In situations where products are sold through subsidiary dealers or directly to the end customer, revenue is recognized once the related product is shipped to the end customer and installation, if applicable, is substantially complete. Offers such as rebates and discounts are recorded as reductions to net sales. Unearned revenue occurs during the normal course of business due to advance payments from customers for future delivery of products and services.

Shipping and Handling Cost, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Shipping and Handling Expenses

The company records shipping and handling related expenses under the caption “Cost of sales” in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

Cost of Sales, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Cost of Sales

We include material, labor and overhead in cost of sales. Included within these categories are such items as freight charges, warehousing costs, internal transfer costs, and other costs of our distribution network.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Selling, General, and Administrative

We include costs not directly related to the manufacturing of our products in the "Selling, general, and administrative" line within the he Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Included in these expenses are items such as compensation expense, rental expense, royalty expense, warranty expense, and travel and entertainment expense.

Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Income Taxes

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities, and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to reverse.

The company's annual effective tax rate is based on income, statutory tax rates and tax planning strategies available in the various jurisdictions the company operates. Complex tax laws can be subject to different interpretations by the company and the respective government authorities. Significant judgment is required in evaluating tax positions and determining our tax expense. Tax positions are reviewed quarterly and tax assets and liabilities are adjusted as new information becomes available.

In evaluating the company's ability to recover deferred tax assets within the jurisdiction from which they arise, the company considers all positive and negative evidence. These assumptions require significant judgment about forecasts of future taxable income.

Share-based Compensation, Option and Incentive Plans Policy [Policy Text Block]

Stock-Based Compensation

The company has several stock-based compensation plans, which are described in Note 10 of the Consolidated Financial Statements. Our policy is to expense stock-based compensation using the fair-value based method of accounting for all awards granted.

Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Earnings per Share

Basic earnings per share (EPS) excludes the dilutive effect of common shares that could potentially be issued, due to the exercise of stock options or the vesting of restricted shares, and is computed by dividing net earnings by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS for fiscal years 2013, 2012, and 2011, was computed by dividing net earnings by the sum of the weighted-average number of shares outstanding, plus all dilutive shares that could potentially be issued. During fiscal 2011, the numerator for diluted earnings per share excluded the earnings impact from the Nemschoff contingent consideration. Previously, this contingent consideration could be settled in cash or stock at the discretion of the company and, therefore, any income or loss associated with adjustments to these liabilities is excluded from the numerator when computing diluted earnings per share. Refer to Note 9 of the Consolidated Financial Statements, for further information regarding the computation of EPS.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Fair Value

The Company follows ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, which provides a consistent definition of fair value, focuses on exit price, prioritizes the use of market-based inputs over entity-specific inputs for measuring fair value and establishes a three-tier hierarchy for fair value measurements. This topic requires fair value measurements to be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:


•	Level 1 — Financial instruments with unadjusted, quoted prices listed on active market exchanges.


•	Level 2 — Financial instruments lacking unadjusted, quoted prices from active market exchanges, including over-the-counter traded financial instruments. Financial instrument values are determined using prices for recently traded financial instruments with similar underlying terms and direct or indirect observational inputs, such as interest rates and yield curves at commonly quoted intervals.


•	Level 3 — Financial instruments not actively traded on a market exchange and there is little, if any, market activity. Values are determined using significant unobservable inputs or valuation techniques.

See Note 12 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for the required fair value disclosures.

Derivatives, Methods of Accounting, Derivatives Not Designated or Qualifying as Hedges [Policy Text Block]

Foreign Currency Forward Contracts Not Designated as Hedges

The company transacts business in various foreign currencies and has established a program that primarily utilizes foreign currency forward contracts to offset the risks associated with the effects of certain foreign currency exposures. Under this program, the company's strategy is to have increases or decreases in our foreign currency exposures offset by gains or losses on the foreign currency forward contracts to mitigate the risks and volatility associated with foreign currency transaction gains or losses. These foreign currency exposures typically arise from net liability or asset exposures in non-functional currencies on the balance sheets of our foreign subsidiaries. These foreign currency forward contracts generally settle within 30 days and are not used for trading purposes. These forward contracts are not designated as hedging instruments. Accordingly, we record the fair value of these contracts as of the end of the reporting period in the Consolidated Balance Sheets with changes in fair value recorded within the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. The balance sheet classification for the fair values of these forward contracts is to "other current assets" for unrealized gains and to "Accrued liabilities" for unrealized losses. The Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income classification for the fair values of these forward contracts is to "Other expenses (income): Other, net", for both realized and unrealized gains and losses.

As of June 1, 2013, the notional amounts of the forward contracts held to purchase and sell U.S. dollars in exchange for other major international currencies were $12.1 million and the notional amounts of the foreign currency forward contracts held to purchase and sell British pound sterling in exchange for other major international currencies were 7.6 million GBP. The company also has other forward contracts related to other currency pairs at varying notional amounts.