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Related Party Transactions
12 Months Ended
Aug. 31, 2017
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Related Party Transactions



18.RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS



Knowledge Capital Investment Group



Knowledge Capital Investment Group (Knowledge Capital) held a warrant to purchase 5.9 million shares of our common stock, exercised its warrant at various dates according to the terms of a fiscal 2011 exercise agreement, and received a total of 2.2 million shares of our common stock from shares held in treasury.  Two members of our Board of Directors, including our CEO, have an equity interest in Knowledge Capital.



Pursuant to a fiscal 2011 warrant exercise agreement with Knowledge Capital, we filed a registration statement with the SEC on Form S-3 to register shares held by Knowledge Capital.  This registration statement was declared effective on January 26, 2015.  On May 20, 2015, Knowledge Capital sold 400,000 shares of our common stock on the open market and we did not purchase any of these shares.  At each of August 31, 2017 and 2016, Knowledge Capital held 2.8 million shares of our common stock.



FC Organizational Products



During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008, we joined with Peterson Partners to create a new company, FC Organizational Products, LLC.  This new company purchased substantially all of the assets of our consumer solutions business unit with the objective of expanding the worldwide sales of FCOP as governed by a comprehensive license agreement between us and FCOP.  On the date of the sale closing, we invested approximately $1.8 million to purchase a 19.5 percent voting interest in FCOP, and made a $1.0 million priority capital contribution with a 10 percent return.  At the time of the transaction, we determined that FCOP was not a variable interest entity.



As a result of FCOP’s structure as a limited liability company with separate owner capital accounts, we determined that our investment in FCOP is more than minor and that we are required to account for our investment in FCOP using the equity method of accounting.  We have not recorded our share of FCOP’s losses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations because we have impaired and written off investment balances, as defined within the applicable accounting guidance, in previous periods in excess of our share of FCOP’s losses through August 31, 2017.



Based on changes to FCOP’s debt agreements and certain other factors in fiscal 2012, we reconsidered whether FCOP was a variable interest entity as defined under FASC 810, and determined that FCOP was a variable interest entity.  Although the changes to the debt agreements did not modify the governing documents of FCOP, the changes were substantial enough to raise doubts regarding the sufficiency of FCOP’s equity investment at risk.  We further determined that we are not the primary beneficiary of FCOP because we do not have the ability to direct the activities that most significantly impact FCOP’s economic performance, which primarily consist of the day-to-day sale of planning products and related accessories, and we do not have an obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from FCOP that could potentially be significant.  Our voting rights and management board representation approximate our ownership interest and we are unable to exercise control through voting interests or through other means.



The operations of FCOP are primarily financed by the sale of planning products and accessories, and our primary exposure related to FCOP is from amounts owed to us by FCOP.  We receive reimbursement from FCOP for certain operating costs and rental payments for the office space that FCOP occupies.



We classify our receivables from FCOP based upon expected payment.  Long-term receivable balances are discounted at 15 percent, which was the estimated risk-adjusted borrowing rate of FCOP.  This rate was based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, current market interest rates for various qualities of comparable debt, discussions with FCOP’s lenders, and an evaluation of the realizability of FCOP’s future cash flows.  In fiscal 2013, we began to accrete this long-term receivable and the majority of our interest income from fiscal 2015 through fiscal 2017 is attributable to the accretion of interest on long-term receivables.



During fiscal 2015, we determined that we will receive payment from FCOP for certain rent expenses earlier than previously estimated and we recognized additional leasing revenues from FCOP totaling $0.2 million due to the change in the priority of the payment of these items.  Although we were able to record additional leasing revenues and our cash flows on current related party receivables will improve in the short term, the present value of our share of cash distributions to cover remaining long-term receivables was reduced and was less than the present value of the receivables previously recorded and accordingly, the Company recalculated its discount on the long-term receivables and impaired the remaining balance, which totaled $0.5 million.



At August 31, 2017 and 2016, we had $1.7 million (net of $0.7 million discount) and $3.2 million (net of $0.8 million discount) receivable from FCOP, which have been classified in current assets and long-term assets in our consolidated balance sheets based on expected payment dates.  We also owed FCOP approximately $9,000 and $0.1 million at August 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, for items purchased in the ordinary course of business.  These liabilities were classified in accounts payable in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.



CoveyLink Acquisition and Contractual Payments



During fiscal 2009, we acquired the assets of CoveyLink Worldwide, LLC (CoveyLink).  CoveyLink conducts training and provides consulting based upon the book The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey, who is the brother of one of our executive officers.



We accounted for the acquisition of CoveyLink using the guidance found in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 141, Business Combinations.  The previous owners of CoveyLink were entitled to earn annual contingent payments based upon earnings growth during the five years following the acquisition.  During fiscal 2015, we completed a review of the contingent consideration payments and determined that we owed the former owners of CoveyLink an additional $0.3 million for performance during the measurement period.  We do not anticipate any further payments related to the acquisition of CoveyLink.  The annual contingent payments were classified as goodwill in our consolidated balance sheets under the accounting guidance applicable at the time of the acquisition.



Prior to the acquisition date, CoveyLink had granted us a non-exclusive license for content related to The Speed of Trust book and related training courses for which we paid CoveyLink specified royalties.  As part of the CoveyLink acquisition, an amended and restated license for intellectual property was signed that granted us an exclusive, perpetual, worldwide, transferable, royalty-bearing license to use, reproduce, display, distribute, sell, prepare derivative works of, and perform the licensed material in any format or medium and through any market or distribution channel.  We are required to pay the brother of one of our executive officers royalties for the use of certain intellectual property developed by him.  The amount expensed for these royalties totaled $1.5 million, $1.4 million, and $1.4 million during the fiscal years ended August 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015.  As part of the acquisition of CoveyLink, we signed an amended license agreement as well as a speaker services agreement.  Based on the provisions of the speakers’ services agreement, we pay the brother of one of our executive officers a portion of the speaking revenues received for his presentations.  We expensed $1.2 million, $1.3 million, and $1.0 million for payment on these presentations during fiscal years 2017, 2016 and 2015.  We had $0.7 million accrued for these royalties and speaking fees at each of August 31, 2017 and 2016, which were included as components of accrued liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets.



Acquired License Rights for Intellectual Property



During the third quarter of fiscal 2017, we acquired the license rights for certain intellectual property owned by Higher Moment, LLC for $0.8 million.  The intellectual property is in part based on works authored and developed by Dr. Clayton Christensen, a well-known author and lecturer, who is a member of our Board of Directors.  However, Dr. Christensen does not have an ownership interest in Higher Moment, LLC.  The initial license period is five years and the agreement may be renewed for successive five-year periods for $0.8 million at each renewal date.  The agreement may be terminated by either party at any time, but if we choose to terminate the agreement prior to the third renewal date, we are required to pay $0.3 million to Higher Moment, LLC.



Other Related Party Transactions



We pay an executive officer of the Company a percentage of the royalty proceeds received from the sales of certain books authored by him in addition to his annual salary.  During the fiscal years ended August 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, we expensed $0.2 million, $0.3 million, and $0.2 million for these royalties, and we had $0.1 million and $0.2 million accrued at August 31, 2017 and 2016 as payable under the terms of these arrangements.  These amounts are included as a component of accrued liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets.



We pay the estate of the late Dr. Stephen R. Covey a percentage of the royalty proceeds received from the sale of certain books that were authored by him.  We expensed $0.1 million in each of fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2015 for royalties under these agreements.  At August 31, 2016, we had $0.2 million accrued for payment to the estate of the former Vice-Chairman under these royalty agreements.  Amounts payable to the estate of Dr. Stephen R. Covey are included as components of accrued liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets.