Analog Devices - 10-K annual report

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are a world leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of high-performance analog, mixed-signal and digital signal processing integrated circuits used in industrial, communication, computer and consumer applications. Since our inception in 1965, we have focused on solving the engineering challenges associated with signal processing in electronic equipment. Our products are embedded inside electronics that people come into contact with every day. Real world signal processing describes the process of converting real-world phenomena such as temperature, motion, pressure, light and sound into electrical signals to be used in a wide array of electronic equipment including industrial process control, factory automation systems, defense electronics, portable wireless communications devices, cellular basestations, central office networking equipment, computers, automobiles, medical imaging equipment, digital cameras and digital televisions. Signal processing technology is a critical element of high-speed communications, digital entertainment, and other consumer, computer and industrial applications. As new generations of digital applications evolve, they generate new needs for high-performance analog signal processing and digital signal processing, or DSP, technology. We produce a wide range of products that are designed to meet the signal processing technology needs of a broad base of customers.

 

In September 2007, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell our baseband chipset business and related support operations, or Baseband Chipset Business, to MediaTek Inc. Accordingly, these operations have been presented as a discontinued operation within the consolidated financial statements in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets (SFAS 144). The financial statements and related footnote disclosures reflect the results of this business in discontinued operations, net of applicable income taxes for all reporting periods presented. Unless otherwise noted, the discussions contained in the Annual Report onForm 10-Krelate only to results from continuing operations. The Company expects to recognize a gain from the sale of the Baseband Chipset Business upon completion of the sale in the first quarter of fiscal 2008.

 

During our fiscal year ended November 3, 2007, or fiscal 2007, approximately 47% of our product revenue came from the industrial market, which includes factory automation, medical equipment, scientific instrumentation, automatic test equipment, automotive electronics, security equipment, and aerospace and defense systems.

 

Revenue from the communications market represented approximately 22% of our fiscal 2007 product revenue. Communications applications include wireless handsets and wireless basestations, as well as products used for high-speed access to the Internet, including central office networking equipment.

 

The demand for our products used in high-performance consumer electronics represented approximately 22% of our product revenue for fiscal 2007. Applications in this market include digital cameras and camcorders, flat-panel and plasma digital televisions, video game applications and surround sound audio systems.

 

We also serve the personal computer and network server markets with products that monitor and manage power usage, and enable high-quality audio. In fiscal 2007, the computer market accounted for approximately 9% of our product revenue.

 

We sell our products worldwide through a direct sales force, third-party distributors and independent sales representatives and through our website. We have direct sales offices in 18 countries, including the United States.

 

We are headquartered near Boston, in Norwood, Massachusetts, and have manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts, Ireland and the Philippines. We were founded in 1965 and are incorporated in Massachusetts. As of November 3, 2007, we employed approximately 9,600 individuals worldwide. Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ADI and is included in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

 

We maintain a website with the address www.analog.com. We are not including the information contained on our website as a part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this Annual Report onForm 10-K.We make available free of charge through our website our Annual Reports onForm 10-K,Quarterly Reports onForm 10-Qand Current Reports onForm 8-K,and amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically

file such material with, or furnish such material to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. We also make available on our website our corporate governance guidelines, the charters for our audit committee, compensation committee, and nominating and corporate governance committee, our stock option granting policies, our code of business conduct and ethics, and our related person transaction policy, and such information is available in print to any shareholder of Analog Devices who requests it. In addition, we intend to disclose on our website any amendments to, or waivers from, our code of business conduct and ethics that are required to be publicly disclosed pursuant to rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the New York Stock Exchange.

 

 

All electronic signals fall into one of two categories, analog or digital. Analog, also known as linear, signals represent real-world phenomena, such as temperature, pressure, sound, speed and motion. This information can be detected and measured using analog sensors by generating continuously-varying voltages and currents. The signals from these sensors are initially processed using analog methods, such as amplification, filtering and shaping. They are then usually converted to digital form for storage or further manipulation. The further manipulation of the signals after conversion to digital form is called “digital signal processing.” Digital signals represent the “ones” and “zeros” of binary arithmetic and are either on or off. Digital signals are frequently converted back to analog form for functions such as video display, audio output or control. These manipulations and transformations from analog to digital and back to analog are known as “real-world signal processing.”

 

Significant developments in semiconductor technology in recent years have substantially increased the performance and functionality of integrated circuits, or ICs, used in signal processing applications. These developments include: the ongoing transition to digital media for communications, music, photography, and video, which has increased the need for precise, high-speed signal conditioning interfaces between the analog world and digital electronics; the ability to combine analog and digital signal processing capability on a single chip, thereby making possible more highly-integrated solutions; and the widespread application of low-cost, high-performance microprocessor-based systems, which enables customers to convert analog information into digital information that can be managed by these microprocessors. At the same time, the convergence of computing, communications, and consumer electronics has resulted in end products that incorporate state-of-the-art signal processing capability onto fewer chips and with less power consumption. Our products are designed to be used within electronic equipment to achieve higher performance, including greater speed, improved accuracy, more efficient signal processing and minimized power consumption.

 

 

We design, manufacture and market a broad line of high-performance ICs that incorporate analog, mixed-signal and digital signal processing technologies. Our ICs are designed to address a wide range of real-world signal processing applications. Across the entire range of our product portfolio are both general-purpose products used by a broad range of customers and applications as well as application-specific products designed for specific clusters of customers in key target markets. By using readily available, high-performance, general-purpose products in their systems, our customers can reduce the time they need to bring new products to market. Given the high cost of developing more customized ICs, our standard products often provide the most cost-effective solution for many low to medium volume applications. However, in some communications, computer and consumer products, we focus on working with leading customers to design application-specific solutions. We begin with our existing core technologies in data conversion, amplification, power management, radio frequency and DSP, and devise a solution to more closely meet the needs of a specific customer or group of customers. Because we have already developed the core technology for our general-purpose products, we can create application-specific solutions quickly.

 

We produce and market several thousand products. Our ten highest revenue products, in the aggregate, accounted for approximately 10% of our revenue for fiscal 2007. The majority of our products are proprietary, meaning equivalent products are not available from competitors. A limited number of other companies may provide products with similar functions.

 

Our analog IC technology has been the foundation of our business for over four decades, and we believe we are one of the world’s largest suppliers of analog ICs. Our analog signal processing ICs are primarily high-performance devices, generally defined as devices that support a minimum of 10-bits of accuracy and a minimum of 50 megahertz of speed. The principal advantages these products have versus competitors’ products include higher accuracy, lower cost per function, smaller size, lower power consumption and fewer components resulting in improved reliability. The majority of our analog signal processing IC product revenue is attributable to sales of data converters and amplifiers. The data converter and amplifier product categories represented approximately 66% of our fiscal 2007 product revenue. Over the past several years we have been expanding our analog IC product offerings along the entire signal chain and into product areas such as radio frequency integrated circuits, or RF ICs, power management products, phase locked loops and high-speed clock ICs.

 

The majority of our analog IC products are proprietary to us in their design and our product portfolio addresses a wide range of applications. Our product portfolio includes several thousand analog ICs, any one of which can have as many as several hundred customers. Our analog ICs typically have long product life cycles. Our analog IC customers include both original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, and customers who build electronic subsystems for integration into larger systems.

 

Our analog technology base also includes products using an advanced IC technology known in the industry as surface micromachining, which is used to produce semiconductor products known as micro-electromechanical systems, or MEMS. This technology enables extremely small mechanical sensing elements to be built on the surface of a chip along with supporting circuitry. In addition to incorporating an electro-mechanical structure, these devices also have analog circuitry for conditioning signals obtained from the sensing element. The integration of signal conditioning and MEMS is a unique feature of our products which we call iMEMS^®. Our iMEMS product portfolio includes accelerometers used to sense acceleration, and gyroscopes used to sense position. The majority of our current revenue from MEMS products is derived from accelerometers used by automotive manufacturers in airbag applications and in video game applications. However, revenue from consumer and industrial customers is increasing as we develop products using this technology for applications in these end markets.

 

 

DSPs are processors that are optimized for high-speed numeric calculations, which are essential for instantaneous, or real-time, processing of digital data generated, in most cases, from analog to digital signal conversion. DSP product revenue represented 10% of our fiscal 2007 product revenue. Our DSP products are designed to be fully programmable and to efficiently execute specialized software programs, or algorithms, associated with processing digitized real-time, real-world data. Programmable DSPs provide the flexibility to modify the device’s function quickly and inexpensively using software. We offer both general-purpose and application-specific DSP products. General-purpose DSP IC customers typically write their own algorithms using software development tools that we provide and software development tools they obtain from third-party suppliers. Our application-specific DSP products typically include software for applications such as audio processing, telecommunications or image processing. Our DSPs are designed in families of products that share a common architecture and therefore can execute the same software. We support these products with easy-to-use, low-cost development tools, which are designed to reduce our customers’ product development costs and time-to-market.

 

 

The following describes some of the characteristics of, and customer products within, our major markets:

 

Industrial — Our industrial market includes the following areas:

 

Industrial Process Automation — Our industrial process automation market includes applications such as factory automation systems, automatic process control systems, robotics, environmental control systems and automatic test equipment. These applications generally require ICs that offer performance greater than that available from commodity-level ICs, but generally do not have production volumes that warrant custom or

application-specific ICs. Combinations of analog, mixed-signal and DSP ICs are usually employed to achieve the necessary functionality.

 

Instrumentation — Our instrumentation market includes engineering, medical and scientific instruments. These applications are usually designed using the highest performance analog and mixed-signal ICs available. Customer products include oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, CT scanners, MRI equipment, blood analyzers and microscopes.

 

Defense/Aerospace — The defense, commercial avionics and space markets all require high-performance ICs that meet rigorous environmental and reliability specifications. Many of our analog ICs can be supplied in versions that meet these standards. In addition, many products can be supplied to meet the standards required for broadcast satellites and other commercial space applications. Most of our products sold in this market are specifically tested versions of products derived from our standard product offering. Customer products include navigation systems, flight simulators, radar systems and security devices.

 

Automotive — Although the automotive market has historically been served with low-cost, low-performance ICs, demand has emerged for higher performance devices for a wide range of safety and entertainment applications, as well as powertrain electronics. In response, we have developed products specifically for the automotive market. We supply a MEMS IC used as a crash sensor in airbag systems, roll-over sensing, global positioning satellite, or GPS, automotive navigation systems, anti-lock brakes and “smart” suspension systems. In addition, our analog and DSP ICs have application in engine control, in-cabin electronics, audio and collision avoidance systems.

 

Communications — The development of broadband, wireless and Internet infrastructures around the world has created an important market for our communications products. Communications technology involves the acquisition of analog signals that are converted from analog to digital and digital to analog form during the process of transmitting and receiving data. The need for higher speed and reduced power consumption, coupled with more reliable, bandwidth-efficient communications, has been creating demand for our products. Our products are used in the full spectrum of signal processing for audio, data, image and video communication. In wireless and broadband communication applications, our products are incorporated into cellular handsets, cellular base station equipment, pagers, PBX switches, routers and remote access servers.

 

Consumer — Increased market demand for digital entertainment systems and the consumer demand for high quality voice, music, movies and photographs has allowed us to combine analog and digital design capability to provide solutions that meet the rigorous cost requirements of the consumer electronics market. The emergence of high-performance, feature-rich consumer products, such as digital camcorders and cameras, home theater systems, LCD and plasma digital televisions, video projectors, video game applications and high-definition DVD recorders/players, has created a market for our high-performance ICs with a high level of specific functionality.

 

Computer— We currently supply ICs used in computers for enhanced audio input and output capability for business and entertainment applications. These products are sold under the brand name, SoundMAX^®. A variety of our analog products also have application in network servers and laptop PCs, as well as computer peripherals such as displays, printers and scanners.

 

 

Our markets are characterized by rapid technological changes and advances. Accordingly, we make substantial investments in the design and development of new products and manufacturing processes, and the improvement of existing products and manufacturing processes. We spent approximately $519 million during fiscal 2007 on the design, development and improvement of new and existing products and manufacturing processes, compared to approximately $469 million during fiscal 2006 and approximately $438 million during fiscal 2005.

 

Our research and development strategy focuses on building technical leadership in core technologies for signal sensing, conditioning, conversion and processing. In addition, we have been increasing our investment in analog products used for power management. In support of our research and development activities, we employ thousands of engineers involved in product and manufacturing process development at over 40 design centers and manufacturing sites located throughout the world.

 

We seek to establish and maintain our proprietary rights in our technology and products through the use of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secret laws. We have a program to file applications for and obtain patents, copyrights, and trademarks in the United States and in selected foreign countries where we believe filing for such protection is appropriate. We also seek to maintain our trade secrets and confidential information by nondisclosure policies and through the use of appropriate confidentiality agreements. We have obtained a substantial number of patents and trademarks in the United States and in other countries. As of November 3, 2007, we held approximately 1,388 U.S. patents and approximately 488 non-provisional pending U.S. patent applications. There can be no assurance, however, that the rights obtained can be successfully enforced against infringing products in every jurisdiction. In connection with our announced divestiture transactions expected to close in fiscal 2008, we will transfer ownership of approximately 73 U.S. patents and 60 non-provisional pending U.S. patent applications. While our patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets provide some advantage and protection, we believe our competitive position and future success is largely determined by such factors as the system and application knowledge, innovative skills, technological expertise, and management ability and experience of our personnel, the range and success of new products being developed by us, our market brand recognition and ongoing marketing efforts, customer service and technical support. It is generally our policy to seek patent protection for significant inventions that may be patented, though we may elect, in certain cases, not to seek patent protection even for significant inventions, if we determine other protection, such as maintaining the invention as a trade secret, to be more advantageous. We also have trademarks that are used in the conduct of our business to distinguish genuine Analog Devices products and we maintain cooperative advertising programs to promote our brands and identify products containing genuine Analog Devices components. In addition, we have registered certain of our mask sets, which are akin to the blueprint for building an IC, under the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984.

 

There can be no assurance that any patent will issue on pending applications or that any patent issued will provide substantive protection for the technology or product covered by it. There also can be no assurance that others will not develop or patent similar technology or reverse engineer our products or that our confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants, wafer foundries and other suppliers and vendors will be adequate to protect our interests. Moreover, the laws of countries in which we design, manufacture and market our products may afford little or no effective protection of our proprietary technology.

 

The semiconductor industry is characterized by frequent claims and litigation involving patent and other intellectual property rights, including claims arising under our contractual indemnification of our customers. We have received from time to time, and may receive in the future, claims from third parties asserting that our products or processes infringe their patents or other intellectual property rights. In the event a third party makes a valid intellectual property claim against us and a license is not available to us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, we could be forced either to redesign or to stop production of products incorporating that intellectual property, and our operating results could be materially and adversely affected. Litigation may be necessary to enforce our patents or other of our intellectual property rights or to defend us against claims of infringement, and this litigation could be costly and divert the attention of our key personnel. See Note 12 in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report onForm 10-Kfor information concerning pending litigation that involves us. An adverse outcome in these matters or other litigation could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or on our consolidated results of operations or cash flows in the period in which the litigation is resolved.

 

 

We sell our products in North America and internationally through a direct sales force, third-party distributors, independent sales representatives and via our worldwide website on the Internet.

 

Approximately 53% of our fiscal 2007 product revenue was derived from sales made through distributors. Revenue is deferred on sales made through distributors until the distributors resell our products to the end customer, known as “100% sell out” or “100% sell through” in the industry. These distributors typically maintain an inventory of our products. Some of them also sell products competitive with our products, including those for which we are an alternate source. Sales to certain distributors are made under agreements that provide protection to the distributors

for their inventory of our products including limited product return privileges and protection against price reductions and products that are slow-moving or that we have discontinued.

 

The categorization of sales into geographic regions is based upon the location of the customer.

 

Approximately 26% of our fiscal 2007 product revenue was to customers in the United States. As of November 3, 2007, we had 11 direct sales offices in the United States.

 

Approximately 24% of our fiscal 2007 product revenue was to customers in Europe. As of November 3, 2007, we had direct sales offices in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

 

Approximately 20% of our fiscal 2007 product revenue was to customers in Japan.

 

Approximately 13% of our fiscal 2007 product revenue was to customers in China and approximately 17% was to customers elsewhere in Asia, principally Taiwan and Korea. As of November 3, 2007, we had direct sales offices in the Asia region in China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan.

 

We also have sales representativesand/ordistributors in over 40 countries outside North America, including countries where we also have direct sales offices. For further detail regarding revenue and financial information about geographic areas, see our Consolidated Financial Statements and Note 4 in the related Notes contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report onForm 10-K.

 

Our worldwide technical direct field sales efforts are supported by an extensive promotional program that includes editorial coverage and paid advertising in trade publications, direct mail programs, promotional brochures, technical seminars and participation in trade shows. We publish and distribute full-length databooks, product catalogs, applications guides, technical handbooks and detailed data sheets for individual products. We also provide this information and sell products via our worldwide website on the Internet. We maintain a staff of field application engineers who aid customers in incorporating our products into their products.

 

We have tens of thousands of customers worldwide. Our largest single customer, excluding distributors, represented approximately 3% of our fiscal 2007 product revenue, and our 20 largest customers, excluding distributors, accounted for approximately 27% of our fiscal 2007 product revenue.

 

 

Sales to customers during our first fiscal quarter are sometimes lower than other quarters due to plant shutdowns at some of our customers during the holiday season. In general, the seasonality for any specific period of time has not had a material impact on our results of operations. In addition, as explained in our risk factors included elsewhere in this report, our revenue is more likely to be influenced on a quarter to quarter basis by cyclicality in the semiconductor industry.

 

 

Through subsidiaries and affiliates, we conduct business in numerous countries outside the United States. During fiscal 2007, approximately 74% of our product revenue was derived from customers in international markets. Our international business is subject to risks customarily encountered in foreign operations, including fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and controls, import and export controls, and other laws, policies and regulations of foreign governments. Although we engage in hedging transactions to reduce our exposure to currency exchange rate fluctuations, there can be no assurance that our competitive position will not be adversely affected by changes in the exchange rate of the United States dollar against other currencies.

 

We have manufacturing facilities outside the United States in Ireland and the Philippines. In addition to being exposed to the ongoing economic cycles in the semiconductor industry, we are also subject to the economic and political risks inherent in international operations and their impact on the United States economy in general, including the risks associated with ongoing uncertainties and political and economic instability in many countries around the world as well as the economic disruption from acts of terrorism, and the response to them by the United States and its allies. Other business risks associated with international operations include increased managerial

complexities, air transportation disruptions, expropriation, currency controls, currency exchange rate movement, additional costs related to foreign taxes, tariffs and freight rate increases, exposure to different business practices and legal standards, particularly with respect to price protection and intellectual property, trade and travel restrictions, pandemics, import and export license requirements and restrictions, difficulties in staffing and managing worldwide operations, and accounts receivable collections.

 

 

Monolithic integrated circuit components are manufactured in a sequence of semiconductor production steps that include wafer fabrication, wafer testing, cutting the wafer into individual “chips,” or dice, assembly of the dice into packages and electrical testing of the devices in final packaged form. The raw materials used to manufacture these devices include silicon wafers, processing chemicals (including liquefied gases), precious metals and ceramic and plastic used for packaging.

 

We develop and employ a wide variety of proprietary manufacturing processes that are specifically tailored for use in fabricating high-performance linear, mixed-signal and MEMS ICs. We also use bipolar and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor, or CMOS, wafer fabrication processes.

 

Our IC products are fabricated both at our production facilities and by third-party wafer fabricators. Most of our analog products are manufactured in our own wafer fabrication facilities using proprietary processes. Our DSP products, and a portion of our analog products, are manufactured at third-party wafer-fabrication foundries using sub-micron digital CMOS processes. We operate wafer fabrication facilities in Wilmington and Cambridge, Massachusetts and Limerick, Ireland. We also operate test facilities located in the Philippines and use third-party subcontractors for the assembly and testing of our products.

 

Capital spending including that related to our Baseband Chipset Business, which is reflected as a discontinued operation, was $141.8 million in fiscal 2007, compared with $129.3 million in fiscal 2006. We currently plan to make capital expenditures of approximately $160 million in fiscal 2008.

 

Our products require a wide variety of components, raw materials and external foundry services, most of which we purchase from third-party suppliers. We have multiple sources for many of the components and materials that we purchase and incorporate into our products. However, a large portion of our external wafer purchases and foundry services are from a limited number of suppliers, primarily Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). If TSMC or any of our other key suppliers are unable or unwilling to manufacture and deliver sufficient quantities of components to us, on the time schedule and of the quality that we require, we may be forced to seek to engage additional or replacement suppliers, which could result in significant expenses and disruptions or delays in manufacturing, product development and shipment of product to our customers. Although we have experienced shortages of components, materials and external foundry services from time to time, these items have generally been available to us as needed.

 

 

Backlog at the end of fiscal 2007 was approximately $408 million, up from approximately $376 million at the end of fiscal 2006. This backlog includes approximately $14 million and $10 million at November 3, 2007 and October 28, 2006, respectively, from our CPU voltage regulation and PC thermal monitoring business that will be reclassified in the first quarter of fiscal 2008 to discontinued operations. Additional information relating to this divestiture is set forth below under the heading Acquisitions, Divestitures and Investments. We define backlog as of a particular date as firm orders with a customer or distributor requested delivery date within thirteen weeks. Backlog is impacted by the tendency of customers to rely on shorter lead times available from suppliers, including us, in periods of depressed demand. In periods of increased demand, there is a tendency towards longer lead times that has the effect of increasing backlog and, in some instances, we may not have manufacturing capacity sufficient to fulfill all orders. As is customary in the semiconductor industry, we allow most orders to be cancelled or deliveries delayed by customers without significant penalty. Accordingly, we believe that our backlog at any time should not be used as an indication of our future revenue.

In some of our markets where end-user demand may be particularly volatile and difficult to predict, some customers place orders that require us to manufacture product and have it available for shipment, even though the customer is unwilling to make a binding commitment to purchase all, or even any, of the product. At any given time, this situation could affect a portion of our backlog. As a result, we may incur inventory and manufacturing costs in advance of anticipated sales and are subject to the risk of cancellation of orders leading to a sharp reduction of sales and backlog. Further, those orders may be for products that meet the customer’s unique requirements so that those cancelled orders would, in addition, result in an inventory of unsaleable products, resulting in potential inventory write-offs. As a result of lengthy manufacturing cycles, for some of our products that are subject to these uncertainties, the amount of unsaleable product could be substantial.

 

 

We estimate that approximately 3% of our fiscal 2007 product revenue was attributable to sales to the U.S. government and government contractors and subcontractors. Our government contract business is predominantly in the form of negotiated, firm fixed-price subcontracts. All such contracts and subcontracts contain standard provisions relating to termination at the election of the United States government.

 

 

An element of our business strategy involves expansion through the acquisition of businesses, assets, products or technologies that allow us to complement our existing product offerings, expand our market coverage, increase our engineering workforce or enhance our technological capabilities. From time to time, we consider acquisitions and divestitures that may strengthen our business.

 

In September 2007, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell our Baseband Chipset Business to MediaTek Inc. We will also license to MediaTek Inc. related technology and intellectual property rights, subject to certain field of use restrictions. We expect to close the transaction during the first quarter of fiscal 2008.

 

In November 2007, we entered into a purchase and sale agreement with certain subsidiaries of ON Semiconductor Corporation, or ON, to sell our CPU voltage regulation and PC thermal monitoring business. The business to be sold consists of core voltage regulator products for the CPU in computing and gaming applications and temperature sensors and fan-speed controllers for managing the temperature of the CPU. As part of the transition, we also agreed to enter into a one-year manufacturing supply arrangement with ON. We expect to close this transaction during the first quarter of fiscal 2008. This business met the assets held for sale criteria on November 8, 2007, and will therefore be accounted for as a discontinued operation in the first quarter of fiscal 2008.

 

Additional information relating to our disposition and acquisition activities during fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2006 is set forth in Note 2u. and Note 6 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report onForm 10-K.

 

 

We compete with a number of semiconductor companies in markets that are highly competitive. We believe we are one of the largest suppliers of high-performance analog and mixed-signal processing components. Competitors for our analog and DSP products include Broadcom Corporation, Freescale Semiconductor Inc., Infineon Technologies, Intersil Corporation, Linear Technology Corporation, Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., National Semiconductor Corporation, NXP Semiconductors, ST Microelectronics, Silicon Laboratories, Inc. and Texas Instruments, Inc.

 

We believe that competitive performance in the marketplace for real-world signal processing components depends upon several factors, including technical innovation, product quality and reliability, range of products, product price, customer service and technical support. We believe our technical innovation emphasizing product performance and reliability, supported by our commitment to strong customer service and technical support, enables us to compete in our chosen markets against both foreign and domestic semiconductor manufacturers.

 

Many other companies offer products that compete with our products, and some have greater financial, manufacturing, technical and marketing resources than we have. Some of our competitors may have better

established supply or development relationships with our current and potential customers. Additionally, some formerly independent competitors have been purchased by larger companies. Our competitors also include emerging companies selling specialized products into markets we serve. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete successfully in the future against existing or new competitors, or that our operating results will not be adversely affected by increased price competition.

 

 

We are committed to protecting the environment and the health and safety of our employees, customers and the public. We endeavor to adhere to the most stringent standards across all of our facilities, to encourage pollution prevention and to strive towards continual improvement. We strive to achieve a standard of excellence in environmental, health and safety management practices as an integral part of our total quality management system.

 

Our manufacturing facilities are subject to numerous environmental laws and regulations, particularly with respect to the storage, handling, use, discharge and disposal of certain chemicals, gases and other substances used or produced in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Compliance with these laws and regulations has not had a material impact on our capital expenditures, earnings, financial condition or competitive position. There can be no assurance, however, that current or future environmental laws and regulations will not impose costly requirements upon us. Any failure by us to comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations could result in fines, suspension of production, alteration of fabrication processes and legal liability.

 

 

As of November 3, 2007, we employed approximately 9,600 individuals worldwide. Our future success depends in large part on the continued service of our key technical and senior management personnel, and on our ability to continue to attract, retain and motivate qualified employees, particularly those highly-skilled design, process, test and applications engineers involved in the design, support and manufacture of new and existing products and processes. We believe that relations with our employees are good; however, the competition for such personnel is intense, and the loss of key personnel could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

 

Set forth below and elsewhere in this report and in other documents we file with the SEC are descriptions of the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements contained in this report.

 

 

Our future revenue, gross margins, operating results and net income are difficult to predict and may be materially affected by a number of factors, including:

 

 

In addition, the semiconductor market has historically been cyclical and subject to significant economic downturns. Our business is subject to rapid technological changes and there can be no assurance, depending on the mix of future business, that products stocked in inventory will not be rendered obsolete before we ship them. As a result of these and other factors, there can be no assurance that we will not experience material fluctuations in future revenue, gross margins and operating results on a quarterly or annual basis. In addition, if our revenue, gross margins, operating results and net income do not meet the expectations of securities analysts or investors, the market price of our common stock may decline.

 

 

In certain markets where end-user demand may be particularly volatile and difficult to predict, some customers place orders that require us to manufacture product and have it available for shipment, even though the customer is unwilling to make a binding commitment to purchase all, or even any, of the product. At any given time, this situation could affect a portion of our backlog. As a result, we may incur inventory and manufacturing costs in advance of anticipated sales and are subject to the risk of cancellations of orders leading to a sharp reduction of sales and backlog. Further, those orders may be for products that meet the customer’s unique requirements so that those cancelled orders would, in addition, result in an inventory of unsaleable products, resulting in potential inventory

write-offs. As a result of lengthy manufacturing cycles for certain of the products that are subject to these uncertainties, the amount of unsaleable product could be substantial. Reductions, cancellations or delays in orders for our products could adversely affect our operating results.

 

 

Our success significantly depends on our continued ability to improve our products and develop and market new products. Product development and enhancement is often a complex, time-consuming and costly process involving significant investment in research and development. There can be no assurance that we will be able to develop and introduce new and improved products in a timely or efficient manner or that new and improved products, if developed, will achieve market acceptance. Our products generally must conform to various evolving and sometimes competing industry standards, which may adversely affect our ability to compete in certain markets or require us to incur significant costs. In addition, our customers generally impose very high quality and reliability standards on our products, which often change and may be difficult or costly to satisfy. Any inability to satisfy such customer quality standards or comply with industry standards and technical requirements may adversely affect demand for our products and our results of operations. In addition, our growth is dependent on our continued ability to identify and penetrate new markets where we have limited experience and competition is intense. There can be no assurance that the markets we serve will grow in the future, that our existing and new products will meet the requirements of these markets, that our products will achieve customer acceptance in these markets, that competitors will not force prices to an unacceptably low level or take market share from us, or that we can achieve or maintain profits in these markets. Furthermore, a decline in demand in one or several of our end-user markets could have a material adverse effect on the demand for our products and our results of operations. Also, some of our customers in these markets are less established, which could subject us to increased credit risk.

 

 

Many other companies offer products that compete with our products. Some have greater financial, manufacturing, technical and marketing resources than we have. Some of our competitors may have better established supply or development relationships with our current and potential customers. Additionally, some formerly independent competitors have been purchased by larger companies. Our competitors also include emerging companies selling specialized products in markets we serve. Competition is based on design and quality of products, product performance, features and functionality, and price, with the relative importance of these factors varying among products, markets and customers. Existing or new competitors may develop products or technologies that more effectively address the demands of our customers and markets with enhanced features and functionality, lower power requirements, greater levels of integration or lower cost. Increased competition in certain markets has resulted in and may continue to result in declining average selling prices, reduced gross margins and loss of market share in such markets. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete successfully in the future against existing or new competitors, or that our operating results will not be adversely affected by increased price competition.

 

 

We rely, and plan to continue to rely, on assembly and test subcontractors and on third-party wafer fabricators to supply most of our wafers that can be manufactured using industry-standard submicron processes. This reliance involves several risks, including reduced control over availability, capacity utilization, delivery schedules, manufacturing yields, quality assurance and costs. Additionally, we utilize a limited number of third-party wafer fabricators, primarily Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. These suppliers manufacture components in accordance with our proprietary designs and specifications. We have no written supply agreements with these suppliers and purchase our custom components through individual purchase orders. In addition, these suppliers often provide manufacturing services to our competitors and therefore periods of increased industry demand may result in capacity constraints. If these suppliers are unable or unwilling to manufacture and deliver sufficient quantities of components to us on the time schedule and of the quality that we require, we may be forced to seek to

engage additional or replacement suppliers, which could result in additional expenses and delays in product development or shipment of product to our customers.

 

 

The cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry has resulted in sustained and short-term periods when demand for our products has increased or decreased rapidly. During these periods of rapid increases in demand, our available capacity may not be sufficient to satisfy the available demand. In addition, we may not be able to expand our workforce and operations in a sufficiently timely manner, procure adequate resources, or locate suitable third-party suppliers, to respond effectively to changes in demand for our existing products or to the demand for new products requested by our customers, and our current or future business could be materially and adversely affected. Conversely, if we expand our operations and workforce too rapidly or procure excessive resources in anticipation of increased demand for our products, and such demand does not materialize at the pace at which we expect, our operating results may be adversely affected. These capacity expansions by us and other semiconductor manufacturers could also lead to overcapacity in our target markets which could lead to price erosion that would adversely impact our operating results.

 

 

We, and the semiconductor industry generally, expand production facilities and access to third-party foundries in response to periods of increased demand which can cause operating expenses to increase. Should customer demand fail to increase or should we enter a period of reduced customer demand, our financial position and results of operations could be adversely impacted as a result of increased operating expenses, reduced margins, underutilization of capacity or asset impairment charges.

 

 

Semiconductor products are highly complex and may contain undetected defects when they are first introduced or as new versions are developed. We invest significant resources in the testing of our products; however, if any of our products contain defects, we may be required to incur additional development and remediation costs, pursuant to warranty and indemnification provisions in our customer contracts. These problems may divert our technical and other resources from other product development efforts and could result in claims against us by our customers or others, including liability for costs associated with product recalls. If any of our products contains defects, or has reliability, quality or compatibility problems, our reputation may be damaged, which could make it more difficult for us to sell our products to existing and prospective customers and could adversely affect our operating results.

 

 

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to protect our intellectual property. We primarily rely on patent, mask work, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as nondisclosure agreements and other methods, to protect our proprietary technologies and processes. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary technologies and processes, it is possible that competitors or other unauthorized third parties may obtain, copy, use or disclose our technologies and processes. Moreover, the laws of foreign countries in which we design, manufacture, market and sell our products may afford little or no effective protection of our proprietary technology.

 

There can be no assurance that the claims allowed in our issued patents will be sufficiently broad to protect our technology. In addition, any of our existing or future patents may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented. As such, any rights granted under these patents may not provide us with meaningful protection. We may not have foreign patents or pending applications corresponding to our U.S. patents and applications. Even if foreign patents are granted, effective enforcement in foreign countries may not be available. If our patents do not adequately protect our technology, our competitors may be able to offer products similar to ours. Our competitors may also be able to

develop similar technology independently or design around our patents. Other companies or individuals have obtained patents covering a variety of semiconductor designs and processes, and we might be required to obtain licenses under some of these patents or be precluded from making and selling the infringing products, if such patents are found to be valid. There can be no assurance that we would be able to obtain licenses, if required, upon commercially reasonable terms, or at all.

 

We generally enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants and strategic partners. We also try to control access to and distribution of our technologies, documentation and other proprietary information. Despite these efforts, internal or external parties may attempt to copy, disclose, obtain or use our products, services or technology without our authorization. Also, former employees may seek employment with our business partners, customers or competitors, and there can be no assurance that the confidential nature of our proprietary information will be maintained in the course of such future employment.

 

 

The semiconductor industry is characterized by frequent claims and litigation involving patent and other intellectual property rights, including claims arising under our contractual obligations to indemnify our customers. We have received from time to time, and may receive in the future, claims from third parties asserting that our products or processes infringe their patents or other intellectual property rights. In the event a third party makes a valid intellectual property claim against us and a license is not available to us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, we could be forced either to redesign or to stop production of products incorporating that intellectual property, and our operating results could be materially and adversely affected. Litigation may be necessary to enforce our patents or other of our intellectual property rights or to defend us against claims of infringement, and this litigation could be costly and divert the attention of our key personnel. We could be subject to warranty or product liability claims that could lead to significant costs and expenses as we defend such claims or pay damage awards. While we maintain product liability insurance, there can be no assurance that such insurance will be available or adequate to protect against all such claims. We may incur costs and expenses relating to a recall of one of our customers’ products containing one of our products. See Note 12 in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report onForm 10-Kfor information concerning certain pending litigation that involves us. An adverse outcome in these matters or other litigation could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or on our consolidated results of operations or cash flows in the period in which the litigation is resolved.

 

 

Our success depends to a significant extent upon the continued service of our executive officers and key management and technical personnel, particularly our experienced engineers, and on our ability to continue to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel. The competition for these employees is intense. The loss of the services of one or more of our key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our operating results. In addition, there could be a material adverse effect on our business should the turnover rates for engineers and other key personnel increase significantly or if we are unable to continue to attract qualified personnel. We do not maintain any key person life insurance policy on any of our officers or employees.

 

 

An element of our business strategy involves expansion through the acquisitions of businesses, assets, products or technologies that allow us to complement our existing product offerings, expand our market coverage, increase our engineering workforce or enhance our technological capabilities. We may not be able to find businesses that have the technology or resources we need and, if we find such businesses, may not be able to purchase or license the technology or resources on commercially favorable terms or at all. Acquisitions and technology licenses are difficult to identify and complete for a number of reasons, including the cost of potential transactions, competition among prospective buyers and licensees and the need for regulatory approvals. In order to finance a potential transaction, we may need to raise additional funds by selling our stock or borrowing money. We may not be able to

find financing on favorable terms, and the sale of our stock may result in the dilution of our existing shareholders or the issuance of securities with rights that are superior to the rights of our common stockholders. Acquisitions also involve a number of risks, including:

 

 

If we are unable to successfully address these risks, we may not realize some or all of the expected benefits of the acquisition, which may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

 

 

We, and many companies in the semiconductor industry, rely on internal manufacturing capacity, wafer fabrication foundries and other sub-contractors in geologically unstable locations around the world. This reliance involves risks associated with the impact of earthquakes on us and the semiconductor industry, including temporary loss of capacity, availability and cost of key raw materials and equipment and availability of key services including transport of our products worldwide. Any prolonged inability to utilize one of our manufacturing facilities, or those of our subcontractors or third party wafer-fabrication foundries, as a result of fire, natural disaster, unavailability of electric power or otherwise, would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

 

During fiscal 2007, approximately 74% of our product revenue was derived from customers in international markets. Although we engage in hedging transactions to reduce our exposure to currency exchange rate fluctuations, there can be no assurance that our competitive position will not be adversely affected by changes in the exchange rate of the United States dollar against other currencies. Potential interest rate increases, as well as high energy costs could have an adverse impact on industrial and consumer spending patterns and could adversely impact demand for our products. We have manufacturing facilities outside the United States in Ireland and the Philippines. In addition to being exposed to the ongoing economic cycles in the semiconductor industry, we are also subject to the economic and political risks inherent in international operations and their impact on the United States economy in general, including the risks associated with ongoing uncertainties and political and economic instability in many countries around the world as well as the economic disruption from acts of terrorism, and the response to them by the United States and its allies. Other business risks associated with international operations include increased managerial complexities, air transportation disruptions, expropriation, currency controls, currency exchange rate movement, additional costs related to foreign taxes, tariffs and freight rate increases, exposure to different business practices and legal standards, particularly with respect to price protection and intellectual property, trade and travel restrictions, pandemics, import and export license requirements and restrictions, difficulties in staffing and managing worldwide operations, and accounts receivable collections.

 

 

A significant portion of our sales are through independent distributors that are not under our control. These independent distributors generally represent product lines offered by several companies and thus could reduce their sales efforts applied to our products or terminate their representation of us. We generally do not require letters of

credit from our distributors and are not protected against accounts receivable default or bankruptcy by these distributors. Our inability to collect open accounts receivable could adversely affect our results of operations. Termination of a significant distributor, whether at our initiative or the distributor’s initiative, could disrupt our current business. If we are unable to find suitable replacements in the event of terminations by significant distributors our operating results could be adversely affected.

 

 

Our industry is subject to environmental regulations that control and restrict the use, transportation, emission, discharge, storage and disposal of certain chemicals used in the manufacturing process. Public attention on environmental controls has increased, and changes in environmental regulations might require us to invest in costly remediation equipment or alter the way our products are made. In addition, we use hazardous and other regulated materials that subject us to risks of liability for damages caused by accidental releases, regardless of fault. Any failure to control such materials adequately or to comply with regulatory restrictions could increase our expenses and adversely affect our operating results.

 

 

We have manufacturing processes that utilize a substantial amount of technology as the fabrication of integrated circuits is a highly complex and precise process. Minute impurities, contaminants in the manufacturing environment, difficulties in the fabrication process, defects in the masks used in the wafer manufacturing process, manufacturing equipment failures, wafer breakage or other factors can cause a substantial percentage of wafers to be rejected or numerous dice on each wafer to be nonfunctional. While we have significant expertise in semiconductor manufacturing, it is possible that some processes could become unstable. This instability could result in manufacturing delays and product shortages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.

 

 

The market price of our common stock has been volatile in the past and may be volatile in the future, as it may be significantly affected by the following factors:

 

 

The stock market has historically experienced volatility, especially within the semiconductor industry, that often has been unrelated to the performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may cause our stock price to fall regardless of our operating results.

 

 

Not applicable.

 

 

Our corporate headquarters is located in Norwood, Massachusetts. Manufacturing and other operations are conducted in several locations worldwide. The following tables provide certain information about our principal general offices and manufacturing facilities:

 

 

 

In addition to the principal leased properties listed in the above table, we also lease sales offices and other premises at 26 locations in the United States and 37 locations overseas under operating lease agreements. These leases expire at various dates through the year 2022. We do not anticipate experiencing significant difficulty in retaining occupancy of any of our manufacturing, office or sales facilities through lease renewals prior to expiration or through month-to-month occupancy, or in replacing them with equivalent facilities. For information concerning our obligations under all operating leases see Note 11 in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report onForm 10-K.

 

 

 

In our 2004Form 10-Kfiling, we disclosed that the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, had initiated an inquiry into our stock option granting practices, focusing on options that were granted shortly before the issuance of favorable financial results. On November 15, 2005, we announced that we had reached a tentative settlement with the SEC.

 

At all times since receiving notice of this inquiry, we have cooperated with the SEC. In November 2005, we and our President and CEO, Mr. Jerald G. Fishman, made an offer of settlement to the Staff of the SEC. The settlement has been submitted to the Commission for approval. There can be no assurance a final settlement will be so approved.

 

The SEC’s inquiry focused on two separate issues. The first issue concerned our disclosure regarding grants of options to employees and directors prior to the release of favorable financial results. Specifically, the issue related to options granted to our employees (including officers) on November 30, 1999 and to our employees (including officers) and directors on November 10, 2000.

 

The second issue concerned the grant dates for options granted to employees (including officers) in 1998 and 1999, and the grant date for options granted to employees (including officers) and directors in 2001. Specifically, the settlement would conclude that the appropriate grant date for the September 4, 1998 options should have been September 8th (which is one trading day later than the date that was used to price the options); the appropriate grant date for the November 30, 1999 options should have been November 29th (which is one trading day earlier than the date that was used); and the appropriate grant date for the July 18, 2001 options should have been July 26th (which is five trading days after the original date).

 

In connection with the proposed settlement, we would consent to acease-and-desistorder under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act andRule 10b-5thereunder, would pay a civil money penalty of $3 million, and would reprice options granted to Mr. Fishman in certain years. Options granted to all others would be excluded from the repricing. Mr. Fishman would consent to acease-and-desistorder under Sections 17(a)(2) and (3) of the Securities Act, would pay a civil money penalty of $1 million, and would make a disgorgement payment with respect to options granted in certain years. With the exception of options granted in 1998, Mr. Fishman has not exercised or sold any of the options identified in this matter. We and Mr. Fishman would settle this matter without admitting or denying the Commission’s findings.

 

We have determined that no restatement of our historical financial results would be necessary due to the proposed settlement.

 

 

In May 2006, we received a document subpoena from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York requesting records from 2000 to the present relating to our granting of stock options. We believe that the options at issue in this matter are the same option grants which have been the subject of investigation by the SEC. We have cooperated with the office of the U.S. Attorney in connection with this subpoena. We cannot predict the outcome of this matter, but believe the disposition of the matter will not have a material adverse effect on us or our financial position.

 

On May 25, 2006, we filed a lawsuit in United States District Court for the District of Delaware against Linear Technology Corp., or LTC, alleging infringement of three of our patents by LTC’s making, selling and using various products. In our complaint, we are seeking damages in an unspecified amount and injunctive relief. In addition, we also sought a declaratory judgment that our products do not infringe eight patents allegedly owned by LTC (the “LTC patents”) and that the LTC patents are invalid. On July 28, 2006, LTC filed an answer and counterclaims, denying that its products infringe the asserted patents and asking the court to declare such patents invalid. LTC also claimed that we, by making, selling and using various power management products, are infringing seven of the eight LTC patents. LTC seeks damages in an unspecified amount and injunctive relief. On August 21, 2006, we filed our answer to LTC’s counterclaims, denying all liability to LTC. The case is currently in the discovery phase and trial is

scheduled to begin in October 2008. We intend to vigorously pursue our claims against LTC, and to vigorously defend against LTC’s counterclaims. We are unable at this time to predict the outcome of this litigation; however, we believe that the final disposition of this matter will not have a material adverse effect on us or our financial position.

 

On October 13, 2006, a purported class action complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts on behalf of participants in our Investment Partnership Plan from October 5, 2000 to the present. The complaint named as defendants us, certain officers and directors, and our Investment Partnership Plan Administration Committee. The complaint alleges purported violations of federal law in connection with our option granting practices during the years 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001, including breaches of fiduciary duties owed to participants and beneficiaries of our Investment Partnership Plan under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. The complaint seeks unspecified monetary damages, as well as equitable and injunctive relief. We intend to vigorously defend against these allegations. On November 22, 2006, we and the individual defendants filed motions to dismiss the complaint. On January 8, 2007, the Plaintiff filed memoranda in opposition. On January 22, 2007, we and the individual defendants filed further memoranda in support of the motions to dismiss. Although we believe we have meritorious defenses to the asserted claims, we are unable at this time to predict the outcome of this proceeding. The court has scheduled a hearing on our motion to dismiss on January 30, 2008.

 

From time to time in the ordinary course of our business, various claims, charges and litigation are asserted or commenced against us arising from, or related to, contractual matters, patents, trademarks, personal injury, environmental matters, product liability, insurance coverage and personnel and employment disputes. As to such claims and litigation, we can give no assurance that we will prevail.

 

While we do not believe that any of the matters described above will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, an adverse outcome of any of these matters is possible and could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations or cash flows in the quarter or annual period in which one or more of these matters are resolved.

 

 

No matters were submitted to a vote of our security holders during the last quarter of the fiscal year ended November 3, 2007.

 

The following table sets forth (i) the name, age and position of each of our executive officers and (ii) the business experience of each person named in the table during at least the past five years. There is no family relationship among any of our executive officers.

 

 

 

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ADI. The tables below set forth the high and low sales prices per share of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange and the dividends declared for each quarterly period within our two most recent fiscal years.

 

 

 

 

During the first quarter of fiscal 2008, on November 26, 2007, our Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.18 per outstanding share of common stock. The dividend will be paid on December 26, 2007 to all shareholders of record at the close of business on December 7, 2007.

 

Information regarding the Company’s equity compensation plans and the securities authorized for issuance thereunder is set forth in Item 12 below.

 

 

 

 

 

The number of holders of record of our common stock at November 2, 2007 was 3,491. This number does not include shareholders for whom shares are held in a “nominee” or “street” name. On November 2, 2007, the last reported sales price of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange was $32.90 per share.

 

 

The following graph compares cumulative total shareholder return on our common stock since November 1, 2002 with the cumulative total return for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and the Standard & Poor’s Semiconductors Index. This graph assumes the investment of $100 on November 1, 2002 in our common stock, the S&P 500 Index and the S&P Semiconductors Index and assumes all dividends are reinvested. Measurement points are the last trading day for each respective fiscal year.

 

 

 

The following table includes selected financial data for each of our last five fiscal years and includes adjustments to reflect the classification of our Baseband Chipset Business as discontinued operations. See Note 2u. in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report onForm 10-Kfor information on discontinued operations.

 

 

 

 

 

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, including in particular the section entitled “Outlook” contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and our future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about the industries in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “targets,” “goals,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “continues,” “may,” variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to projections of our future financial performance, our anticipated growth and trends in our businesses, and other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict, including those identified in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors and elsewhere in our Annual Report onForm 10-K.Therefore, actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for any reason.

 

In September 2007, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell our baseband chipset business and related support operations, or Baseband Chipset Business, to MediaTek Inc. We have reflected the financial results of this business as discontinued operations in the consolidated statement of income for all years presented. The assets and liabilities of this business are reflected as assets and liabilities of discontinued operations in the consolidated balance sheets as of November 3, 2007 and October 28, 2006. Unless otherwise noted, this Management’s Discussion and Analysis relates only to financial results from continuing operations.

 

 

 

 

The year-to-year revenue changes by end market and product category is more fully outlined below under Revenue Trends by End Market and Revenue Trends by Product.

 

 

The categorization of revenue by end market is determined using a variety of data points including the technical characteristics of the product, the “sold to” customer information, the “ship to” customer information and the end customer product or application into which our product will be incorporated. As data systems for capturing and tracking this data evolve and improve, the categorization of products by end market can vary over time. When this occurs, we reclassify revenue by end market for prior periods. Such reclassifications typically do not materially change the sizing of, or the underlying trends of results within, each end market.

 

 

Industrial — The year-to-year increase from fiscal 2006 to fiscal 2007 was primarily the result of revenue growth in products sold into the automotive area and to a lesser extent the instrumentation portion of the industrial end market. These sales increases were partially offset by a decline in sales to automatic test equipment customers. The year-to-year increase from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2006 was a result of a broad based increase in demand for our products across a wide range of customers in this end market.

 

Communications — The year-to-year increase from fiscal 2006 to fiscal 2007 was the result of an increase in sales to customers in the wireless basestation and analog wireless handset end markets. The increase in sales in these end markets was partially offset by a decrease in sales to networking customers. The year-to-year increase from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2006 was the result of an increase in sales of our products sold to customers in the wireless basestation end market and to a lesser extent, an increase in sales of our products sold into optical applications. These increases were offset by a decrease in sales to networking customers as a result of the sale of our DSP-based DSL ASIC and network processor product line, which we sold in the second quarter of fiscal 2006.

 

Consumer — The year-to-year increase from fiscal 2006 to fiscal 2007 was primarily the result of increased sales of our products used in video game applications, advanced television systems and digital home applications. The year-to-year increase from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2006 was primarily the result of the success of our products in digital home applications and advanced television systems and to a lesser extent in a broad array of audio and video applications.

 

Computer — The year-to-year decreases in each of the last two fiscal years was the result of our decision to deemphasize power management products used in desktop and laptop computers.

 

Revenue from One-Time IP License — During the first quarter of fiscal 2007, we recorded revenue of $35 million received in exchange for licensing of certain intellectual property rights to a third party.

 

 

The following table summarizes revenue by product categories. The categorization of our products into broad categories is based on the characteristics of the individual products, the specification of the products and in some cases the specific uses that certain products have within applications. The categorization of products into categories is therefore subject to judgment in some cases and can vary over time. In instances where products move between

product categories we reclassify the amounts in the product categories for all prior periods. Such reclassifications typically do not materially change the sizing of, or the underlying trends of results within, each product category.

 

 

The significant changes in our revenue trends by product type from fiscal 2007 to fiscal 2006, and from fiscal 2006 to fiscal 2005, were the year-to-year increases in our other analog product category, primarily as a result of increased sales of products used in video game applications and continued growth in converters and amplifiers. Sales of products in the power management and reference product category were lower in fiscal 2007 as compared to fiscal 2006 as a result of our decision to deemphasize power management products used in desktop and laptop computers. The year-to-year declines from fiscal 2006 to fiscal 2007, and from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2006, in the DSP product category were primarily attributable to the loss of revenue from our DSP-based DSL ASIC and network processor product line that we sold in the second quarter of fiscal 2006. These decreases were partially offset by an increase in revenues from our general purpose DSP products.

 

 

The percentage of product sales from continuing operations by geographic region, based upon point of sale, for the last three years is as follows:

 

 

 

 

There was no major shift in the distribution of revenue by geographic region in fiscal 2007 as compared to fiscal 2006.

 

 

Gross margin in fiscal 2007 decreased by 20 basis points from the gross margin recorded in fiscal 2006. This decrease was primarily the result of higher sales of products used in consumer electronics, which currently earn relatively lower gross margins than our average gross margin. This decrease was partially offset by the $35 million in revenue recorded in the first quarter of fiscal 2007 in exchange for licensing of certain intellectual property rights to a third party with no associated cost of sales. Fiscal year 2006 cost of sales also included approximately $20.3 million of restructuring-related expenses, of which $18.3 million was accelerated depreciation.

 

Gross margin in fiscal 2006 decreased by 10 basis points from the gross margin recorded in fiscal 2005. This decrease was the result of recognizing $29.3 million of stock-based compensation expense, restructuring-related and acquisition-related expenses in cost of sales in fiscal 2006. The restructuring expense primarily related to accelerated depreciation of $18.3 million. These increases in expenses were partially offset by an increase in utilization of our wafer fabrication facilities and increased sales of higher margin products during fiscal 2006 as compared to fiscal 2005.

 

 

During the first quarter of fiscal 2006, on October 30, 2005, we adopted the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment, or SFAS 123R, using the modified prospective application method. Compensation cost is calculated on the date of grant using the fair value of the options as calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The Black-Scholes option pricing model requires us to make several assumptions. One of the key assumptions is expected volatility. For options granted prior to fiscal 2005, we used historical volatility to estimate the grant-date fair value of stock options. We changed our method of estimating expected volatility for all stock options granted after fiscal 2004 from exclusively relying on historical volatility to exclusively relying on implied volatility. This change was the result of a thorough review we undertook, which included consultations with several third-party advisors. We currently believe that the exclusive use of implied volatility results in a more accurate estimate of the grant-date fair value of employee stock options because it more appropriately reflects the market’s current expectations of future volatility. Historical volatility during the period commensurate with the expected term of our stock options over the past several years included a period of time during which our stock price experienced unprecedented increases and subsequent declines. We believe that this past stock price volatility is unlikely to be indicative of future stock price behavior.

 

Prior to the adoption of SFAS 123R, we accounted for share-based payments to employees under APB Opinion No. 25,Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees, using the intrinsic value method and, as such, generally recognized no compensation cost for employee stock options. The adoption of SFAS 123R under the modified prospective application method allowed us to recognize compensation cost beginning with the effective date (a) based on the requirement of SFAS 123R for all share-based payments granted after the effective date and (b) based on the requirements of SFAS 123 for all awards granted to employees prior to the effective date of SFAS 123R that were unvested on the effective date. Under the modified prospective application method, prior periods are not restated for the effect of SFAS 123R. We used the graded attribution method to recognize expense for all options granted prior to the adoption of SFAS 123R. Upon adoption of SFAS 123R on October 30, 2005, we switched to the straight-line attribution method to recognize expense for all grants made after October 29, 2005. The expense associated with the unvested portion of the pre-adoption grants continues to be expensed using the graded attribution method.

 

Prior to the adoption of SFAS 123R on October 18, 2005, we accelerated the vesting of all unvested stock options awarded to employees after December 31, 2000 that had exercise prices of $40.00 per share or greater. The vesting of options issued to our corporate officers and directors was not accelerated. Unvested options to purchase approximately 18 million shares became exercisable as a result of the vesting acceleration. Because the exercise

price of all the modified options was greater than the market price of our underlying common stock on the date of the modification, no stock-based compensation expense was recorded in the statement of income in accordance with APB Opinion No. 25. The primary purpose for modifying the terms of these out-of-the-money stock options to accelerate their vesting was to eliminate the need to recognize the remaining unrecognized non-cash compensation expense in our statement of income associated with these stock options as measured under SFAS 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, because the approximately $188 million ($134 million net of tax) of future expense associated with these options would have been disproportionately high compared to the economic value of the options at the date of modification.

 

Our income from continuing operations before income taxes and net income from continuing operations for fiscal 2007, are $67.0 million and $47.3 million lower, respectively, than if we had continued to account for share-based compensation under APB Opinion 25. Basic and diluted earnings per share for fiscal 2007 were $0.15 and $0.14 lower, respectively, than if we had continued to account for share-based compensation under APB Opinion 25. We expect that stock-based compensation related to our adoption of SFAS 123R will reduce diluted EPS by approximately $0.03 in the first quarter of fiscal 2008.

 

Our income from continuing operations before income taxes and net income from continuing operations for fiscal 2006, were $69.8 million and $49.7 million lower, respectively, than if we had continued to account for share-based compensation under APB Opinion 25. Basic and diluted earnings per share for fiscal 2006 were $0.14 and $0.13 lower, respectively, than if we had continued to account for share-based compensation under APB Opinion 25.

 

As of November 3, 2007, the total compensation cost related to unvested awards not yet recognized in the statement of income was approximately $144.5 million (before tax consideration), which will be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.7 years.

 

See Note 3 to our Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report onForm 10-Kfor further information regarding our adoption of SFAS 123R.

 

 

 

R&D expenses for fiscal 2007 increased by $49.9 million, or 11%, from the amount recorded in fiscal 2006. The increase in R&D expense was primarily the result of an increase in employee salary and benefit expense in fiscal 2007, primarily as a result of an increase in our employee population and to a lesser extent the impact of the extra week of operations in fiscal 2007. These increases were partially offset by lower employee bonus expense during fiscal 2007 as compared to fiscal 2006.

 

R&D expenses for fiscal 2006 increased by $31.2 million, or 7%, from the amount recorded in fiscal 2005. The increase in R&D expense in fiscal 2006 was primarily the result of recognizing $29.6 million of stock-based compensation expense due to the adoption of SFAS 123R and an increase in employee bonus expense. These increases were partially offset by the savings realized from the restructuring actions we initiated in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005 and the sale of our DSP-based DSL ASIC and network processor product line in the second quarter of fiscal 2006.

 

R&D expense as a percentage of net sales will fluctuate from year-to-year depending on the amount of net sales and the success of new product development efforts, which we view as critical to our future growth. At any point in time we have hundreds of R&D projects underway, and we believe that none of these projects is material on an individual basis. We expect to continue the development of innovative technologies and processes for new products, and we believe that a continued commitment to R&D is essential in order to maintain product leadership with our existing products and to provide innovative new product offerings, and therefore, we expect to continue to make significant R&D investments in the future.

 

 

SMG&A expenses for fiscal 2007 increased by $5.3 million, or 1%, from the levels recorded in fiscal 2006. The increase in SMG&A expenses was primarily the result of higher employee salary and benefit expense and an extra week of operations in the first quarter of fiscal 2007. These increases were partially offset by lower employee bonus expense and $8.5 million related to the reimbursement of legal expenses we received as a result of the settlement of litigation in the second quarter of fiscal 2007.

 

SMG&A expenses for fiscal 2006 increased by $54.8 million, or 16%, from the levels recorded in fiscal 2005. The increase in SMG&A expenses was primarily the result of recording $32.6 million of stock-based compensation expense related to the adoption of SFAS 123R and higher employee salary, benefit and bonus expenses. These increases were partially offset by savings realized from the restructuring actions we initiated in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005 and the sale of our DSP-based DSL ASIC and network processor product line in the second quarter of fiscal 2006.

 

 

 

We incurred charges totaling $21.7 million for the write-off of in-process technology that had not yet reached technological feasibility associated with our acquisitions in the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2006. There were no charges for the write-off of in-process research and development in fiscal 2007 or 2005. See “Acquisitions” below for additional information regarding these acquisitions.

 

 

 

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005, we recorded a special charge of $20.3 million as a result of a decision to close our California wafer fabrication operations and transfer virtually all of the production of products manufactured there to our facility in Wilmington, Massachusetts. The charge was for severance and fringe benefit costs that were recorded pursuant to SFAS 88, Employers’ Accounting for Settlements and Curtailments of Defined Benefit Pension Plans and for Termination Benefits, or SFAS 88, under our ongoing benefit plan for 339 manufacturing employees and 28 general and administrative employees. The severance benefit was calculated based on length of past service, and employees had to continue to be employed until they were involuntarily terminated in order to receive the severance benefit. We completed the final cleanup and closure activities associated with this action during the second quarter of fiscal 2007.

 

In addition to the charge recorded in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005, we recorded additional expense during fiscal 2006, which consisted of $18.3 million of non-cash cost of sales expenses for additional depreciation due to shortened useful lives of certain manufacturing equipment and $2.0 million for stay-on bonuses. We reversed approximately $2.0 million of our severance accrual during fiscal 2006 because some employees voluntarily left the company, other employees found alternative employment within the company, and there was an over accrual related to fringe benefits because severance payments, normally paid as income continuance, were paid in lump sum payments, which reduced the benefit costs associated with these payments. We have terminated the employment of all of the remaining employees included in this action.

We ceased production at the wafer fabrication facility on November 9, 2006. During the first quarter of fiscal 2007, we recorded additional expense, in accordance with SFAS 146, Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities, which consisted of $3.2 million for clean-upand closure costs that were charged to expense as incurred and $0.4 million for lease obligation costs for a warehouse facility we ceased using during the first quarter of fiscal 2007. During the second quarter of fiscal 2007, we recorded a special charge, in accordance with SFAS 146, which included $5.0 million of expense for future lease obligation costs for the wafer fabrication facility that we ceased using during the second quarter of fiscal 2007. Also included in this special charge was $1.7 million forclean-up and closure costs that were charged to expense as incurred. Theclean-upactivity was completed during the second quarter of fiscal 2007, and we do not expect to incur any additional charges related to this action.

 

The closure of this facility has resulted in annual cost savings of approximately $50 million per year beginning in fiscal 2007. These annual savings include: approximately $49 million in cost of sales, of which approximately $7 million relates to non-cash depreciation savings, and approximately $1 million in SMG&A expenses. At current demand levels, if this facility were still in operation, the capacity of the facility would be largely underutilized resulting in significant adverse manufacturing variances associated with the underutilization of our wafer fabrication facilities.

 

 

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005, we recorded a special charge of $11.2 million as a result of our decision to reorganize our product development and support programs with the goal of providing greater focus on our analog and digital signal processing product programs. The charge was for severance and fringe benefit costs that were recorded pursuant to SFAS 88 under our ongoing benefit plan or statutory requirements at foreign locations for 60 manufacturing employees and 154 engineering and selling, marketing, general and administrative employees.

 

During fiscal 2006, we recorded an additional special charge of $3.8 million related to this reorganization action. Approximately $1.5 million of this charge was for lease obligation costs for a facility we ceased using during the first quarter of fiscal 2006 and the write-off of property, plant and equipment and other items at this facility. The remaining $2.3 million related to the severance and fringe benefit costs that were recorded in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006 pursuant to SFAS 88 under our ongoing benefit plan or statutory requirements at foreign locations for 46 engineering and selling, marketing, general and administrative employees.

 

During the first quarter of fiscal 2007, we recorded an additional special charge of $1.6 million related to this reorganization action. Approximately $0.6 million of this charge was for contract termination costs. The remaining $1.0 million relates to severance and fringe benefit costs recorded pursuant to SFAS 88 under our ongoing benefit plan for six engineering employees.

 

During the second quarter of fiscal 2007, we recorded an additional special charge of $3.4 million related to this reorganization action. Approximately $3.2 million relates to the severance and fringe benefit costs recorded pursuant to SFAS 88 under our ongoing benefit plan or minimum statutory requirements at foreign locations for 20 engineering and selling, marketing, general and administrative employees. The remaining $0.2 million of this charge was for lease obligation costs for a facility we ceased using during the second quarter of fiscal 2007.

 

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, we reversed approximately $0.9 million of our severance accrual because some employees voluntarily left the company and other employees found alternative employment within the company, and were therefore no longer entitled to severance payments.

 

The employment of all employees included in this action has been terminated. We do not expect to incur any further charges related to this reorganization action. These organizational changes, which were fully implemented in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, are expected to result in savings of approximately $30 million per year. These savings are expected to be realized as follows: approximately $17 million in R&D expenses, approximately $10 million in SMG&A expenses and approximately $3 million in cost of sales. A portion of these savings associated with these charges is reflected in our fiscal 2007 results.

 

 

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, we recorded a special charge of $13.7 million as a result of our decision to focus the wafer fabrication capacity at our Limerick facility on eight-inch technology. Certain manufacturing processes and products produced on our six-inch production line will transition to our existing eight-inch production line in Limerick while others will transition to external foundries. The charge is for severance and fringe benefit costs recorded pursuant to SFAS 88 under our ongoing benefit plan for 150 manufacturing employees. Production is expected to cease in the six-inch wafer fabrication facility during the first half of 2009, and the affected employees will be terminated. These employees must continue to be employed until their employment is involuntarily terminated in order to receive the severance benefit. We expect to incur additional expenses related to this action during fiscal year 2009 of approximately $6 million related to cleanup and closure costs. In accordance with SFAS 146, these costs will be expensed as incurred. The closure of this facility is estimated to result in annual cost savings of approximately $25 million per year, expected to start during the second quarter of fiscal 2009. These annual savings will be in cost of sales, of which approximately $1 million relates to non-cash depreciation savings.

 

 

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, we decided to either deemphasize or exit certain businesses or products and focus investments in products and end markets where we have better opportunities for profitable growth. In September 2007, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell our Baseband Chipset Business. As a result of these decisions, we decided to reduce the support infrastructure in manufacturing, engineering and SMG&A to more appropriately reflect our required overhead structure. Consequently, we recorded a special charge of $12.3 million, of which $10.7 million is for severance and fringe benefit costs recorded pursuant to SFAS 88 under our ongoing benefit plan or statutory requirements at foreign locations for 25 manufacturing employees and 127 engineering and selling, marketing, general and administrative employees. The remaining $1.6 million is for contract termination costs related to a license agreement associated with products we will no longer develop and for which there is no future alternative use. As of November 3, 2007, 77 of the 152 employees included in this cost reduction action were still employed by us. These employees must continue to be employed until their employment is involuntarily terminated in order to receive the severance benefit. These cost reduction actions are expected to result in savings of approximately $15 million per year once substantially completed in the second quarter of fiscal 2008. These savings are expected to be realized as follows: approximately $7 million in R&D expenses, approximately $6 million in SMG&A expenses and approximately $2 million in cost of sales.

 

 

 

Operating income increased by $43.8 million, or 8%, in fiscal 2007 as compared to fiscal 2006. This increase was the result of a $203.2 million increase in revenue, which was offset by a 0.2% reduction in gross margin percentage and a $72.3 million increase in operating expenses as more fully described above under the headings Research and Developmentand Selling, Marketing, General and Administrative,Special Charges and Purchased In-process Research and Development.

 

The $43.8 million, or 9%, increase in operating income in fiscal 2006 as compared to fiscal 2005 was primarily the result of a 10% increase in revenue. This increase was partially offset by $69.8 million of stock-based operating expenses associated with the adoption of SFAS 123R and the $21.7 million write-off of purchased in-process research and development as a result of our fiscal 2006 acquisitions. In addition, the special charges in fiscal 2006 were lower by $29.7 million than the special charges recorded in fiscal 2005.

 

 

The $17.9 million decrease in nonoperating income in fiscal 2007 as compared to fiscal 2006 was a result of lower invested cash balances that were partially offset by the higher interest rates in fiscal 2007 as compared to fiscal 2006. This decrease in interest income was partially offset by a $7.9 million gain from the sale of an investment and a $10.5 million settlement we received in fiscal 2007. In fiscal 2006, we also recognized a $13.0 million gain on the sale of our DSP-based DSL ASIC and network processor product line.

 

Nonoperating income increased by $38.9 million in fiscal 2006 as compared to fiscal 2005. This increase was primarily the result of higher interest income, which was primarily attributable to higher interest rates in fiscal 2006 as compared to fiscal 2005. Nonoperating income for fiscal 2006 also included a $13.0 million gain on the sale of our DSP-based DSL ASIC and network processor product line during the second quarter of fiscal 2006.

 

 

 

Our effective tax rate reflects the applicable tax rate in effect in the various tax jurisdictions around the world where our income is earned. Our effective tax rate for fiscal 2007 was higher by 550 basis points compared to our effective tax rate for fiscal 2006. This increase was primarily attributable to the recording of tax benefits of $35.2 million associated with the completion of an Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, examination during fiscal 2006, including the reversal of penalty accruals and the filing of refund claims in other jurisdictions associated with the completion of the IRS audit. The increase was also attributable to the following fiscal 2007 transactions, which were taxed at the higher U.S. tax rate: the one-time receipt of $35 million associated with the licensing of intellectual property to a third party, the gain on the sale of an investment of $7.9 million and the $19 million received from the settlement of litigation. In addition, we recorded an additional $4.4 million of taxes and penalties in fiscal 2007 for proposed adjustments related to the IRS examination of fiscal 2005 and fiscal 2004 and a $5.6 million tax adjustment related to the finalization of the accounting associated with a fiscal 2006 acquisition. These items were partially offset by a tax benefit of $4.7 million from the reinstatement of the U.S. federal research and development tax credit in fiscal 2007 and a $9.9 million cumulative adjustment recorded in fiscal 2007 related to the application of this credit to a portion of our fiscal 2006 results.

 

The tax rate was lower in fiscal 2006 as compared to fiscal 2005 primarily due to the recording of tax benefits of $35.2 million associated with the completion of an IRS examination during fiscal 2006, including the reversal of penalty accruals and the filing of refund claims in other jurisdictions associated with the completion of the IRS audit. In addition, the effective tax rate was higher in fiscal 2005 as a result of our repatriation of foreign earnings and the write-off of deferred tax assets associated with balances accumulated in our deferred compensation plan as more fully described below.

 

On October 22, 2004, the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, or the AJCA, was signed into law. The AJCA created a temporary incentive for U.S. multinational corporations to repatriate accumulated foreign income by providing an 85% dividends received deduction for certain dividends from controlled foreign corporations. During fiscal 2005, we repatriated $1,055 million of accumulated foreign earnings, taking the benefit of current tax law allowing for earnings repatriated prior to October 29, 2005 to be taxed at a reduced effective tax rate. In connection with the repatriation of earnings, we recorded additional income tax expense of $49 million in fiscal 2005.

We had originally established a deferred tax asset on our consolidated balance sheet with the expectation that the officers subject to the 162(m) limitation of the Internal Revenue Code would not withdraw their balances from the Analog Devices, Inc. Deferred Compensation Plan, or the deferred compensation plan, while they were still subject to the 162(m) limitation, and we would receive a tax deduction at the time of withdrawal, generally upon their retirement. Due to changes in tax law during 2005 that were enacted as part of the AJCA, the laws associated with distributions from deferred compensation plans changed. In fiscal 2005 three executive officers who were subject to the 162(m) limitation withdrew, or indicated their intention to withdraw a portion of their balances from the deferred compensation plan. As a result, we incurred additional income tax expense in fiscal 2005 of $7.2 million due to the write-off of deferred tax assets associated with balances accumulated in the deferred compensation plan.

 

 

 

Net income from continuing operations was lower in fiscal 2007 than in fiscal 2006 by approximately $15.6 million primarily as a result of the $17.9 million decrease in nonoperating income and the impact of a higher effective income tax rate in fiscal 2007, partially offset by the $43.8 million increase in operating income from continuing operations.

 

Net income from continuing operations increased by $140.4 million in fiscal 2006 as compared to fiscal 2005, primarily as the result of the 10% increase in revenue, the increase in nonoperating income and lower tax expense. This increase in net income was partially offset by a year-to-year increase in operating expenses of $78.0 million, primarily as a result of $62.2 million of stock-based operating expenses related to the adoption of SFAS 123R and $22.2 million of operating expenses related to our acquisitions during fiscal 2006. These operating expense increases were partially offset by a $29.7 million decrease in special charges in fiscal 2006 as compared to fiscal 2005.

 

The impact of inflation and foreign currency exchange rate movement on our business during the past three fiscal years has not been significant.

 

 

 

We entered into a definitive agreement in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007 to sell our Baseband Chipset Business to MediaTek Inc. Accordingly, these operations have been presented as a discontinued operation within the consolidated financial statements in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets (SFAS 144). We expect to record a gain from the sale of this business upon the completion of the sale in the first quarter of fiscal 2008. We estimate this gain after taxes will be in the range of $150 million to $160 million.

 

 

In the third quarter of fiscal 2006, we completed a transaction with TTPCom Limited (TTPCom), whereby TTPCom transferred to us intellectual property, engineering resources, and related assets associated with the support and customization of TTPCom’s GSM/GPRS/EDGE modem software for use on our existing and future generations of SoftFone^®baseband processors. We also acquired development rights for AJAR, TTPCom’s advanced applications platform. As a result of this transaction, we became the single point of contact for both hardware and software support for our new and existing wireless handset customers, thus improving our abilities to

service the needs of individual customers. We paid TTPCom $11.9 million in initial cash payments. The purchase price was allocated to the tangible and intangible assets acquired based on their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. The estimated fair values of the assets exceeded the initial payments by $7.8 million, resulting in negative goodwill. Pursuant to Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No 141, Business Combinations, we recorded a liability for the contingent consideration that will be accounted for as additional purchase price, up to the amount of the negative goodwill. As contingent payments became due, the payments were applied against the contingent liability. As of October 28, 2006, we had paid $6 million of contingent payments and the remaining contingent liability was $1.8 million. The purchase price included $5.5 million of in-process technology that had not yet reached technological feasibility, had no alternative future use and was charged to operations during the third quarter of fiscal 2006. The in-process technology related to software code developed for use in our semiconductor chipsets manufactured for devices that use both the 2G and 2.5G cellular wireless technology standards. The fair value of the in-process technology was determined with the assistance of a third party using the income approach. At the time of the acquisition, the in-process technology was approximately 56% complete. As of November 3, 2007, the in-process research and development projects were complete. During fiscal 2007, we paid an additional $6.1 million of contingent consideration, which resulted in reducing the $1.8 million liability and recording additional goodwill of $4.3 million. As of November 3, 2007, all technological milestones have been met and no additional payments will be made. The acquisition also included $13.2 million of intangible assets that were being amortized over their estimated useful lives of five years using an accelerated amortization method that reflects the estimated pattern of economic use. As a result of the definitive agreement to sell our Baseband Chipset Business to MediaTek Inc., $7.9 million and $11.4 million of net intangible assets were reclassified to assets of discontinued operations at November 3, 2007 and October 28, 2006, respectively, as the TTPCom assets will be transferred to Media Tek Inc. as part of the transaction. See Note 2u. to our Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report onForm 10-Kfor further information regarding assets of discontinued operations.

 

In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006, we acquired substantially all the outstanding stock of privately-held Integrant Technologies, Inc. (Integrant) of Seoul, Korea. The acquisition enabled us to enter the mobile TV market and strengthened our presence in the Asian region. We paid $127.2 million in initial cash payments at closing and may be obligated to make additional cash payments of up to an aggregate of $33 million upon the satisfaction of certain conditions. The initial cash payments included $4.2 million held in escrow for the purchase of the remaining non-founder outstanding shares. These shares were purchased during fiscal 2007 and were recorded as additional goodwill. The purchase price was allocated to the tangible and intangible assets acquired based on their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. We completed the final purchase accounting for this transaction during the first quarter of fiscal 2007, which resulted in an additional $5.6 million of goodwill. The $33 million of potential cash payments is comprised of $25 million for the achievement of revenue-based milestones that may be payable during the period from July 2006 through December 2007 and $8 million related to the purchase of shares from the founder of Integrant during the period from July 2007 through July 2009. The additional cash payments will be recorded as additional purchase price. During fiscal 2007, we paid $3.5 million to repurchase founder shares. No revenue-based milestones have been met as of November 3, 2007. The purchase price included $11.1 million of in-process technology that had not yet reached technological feasibility, had no alternative future use and was charged to operations during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006. The in-process technology related to technologies currently in development for Dual DAB, T-DMB, DVB-H, RFID and WiBro applications. The fair value of the in-process technology was determined with the assistance of a third party using the income approach. At the time of the acquisition, the in-process technology was approximately 74% complete. As of November 3, 2007, the in-process research and development projects were complete. The acquisition also included $21.6 million of intangible assets that are being amortized over their estimated useful lives of two to five years using an accelerated amortization method that reflects the estimated pattern of economic use.

 

In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006, we acquired all the outstanding stock of privately-held AudioAsics A/S (AudioAsics) of Roskilde, Denmark. The acquisition of AudioAsics allows us to continue developing our low-power audio solutions, while expanding our presence in the Nordic and Eastern European regions. We paid $19.3 million in initial cash payments at closing and may be obligated to make additional cash payments of up to an aggregate of $8 million upon the satisfaction of certain conditions. The purchase price was allocated to the tangible and intangible assets acquired based on their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. The $8 million of potential cash payments is comprised of $4.8 million for the achievement of revenue-based milestones that may be

payable during the period from October 2006 through January 2009 and $3.2 million based on the achievement of technological milestones during the period from October 2006 through January 2009. In order to be entitled to receive $2.4 million of the revenue-based contingent consideration, certain key employees must continue to be employed by us. As such, that portion of the revenue-based contingent consideration will be recorded as compensation expense when, and if, it is earned. The technological milestones require post-acquisition services to be rendered in order to be achieved and, as such, will be recorded as compensation expense when earned. The purchase price included $5.1 million of in-process technology that had not yet reached technological feasibility, had no alternative future use and was charged to operations during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006. The in-process technology related to technologies currently in development for analog and digital microphonepre-amplifiers.The fair value of the in-process technology was determined with the assistance of a third party using the income approach. At the time of the acquisition, the in-process technology was approximately 69% complete. As of November 3, 2007, the in-process research and development projects were complete. The acquisition also included $8.3 million of intangible assets that are being amortized over their estimated useful lives of five years using an accelerated amortization method that reflects the estimated pattern of economic use. As of November 3, 2007, no contingent consideration has been paid.

 

Pro forma results of operations for TTPCom, Integrant and AudioAsics have not been provided herein as they were not material to us on either an individual or an aggregate basis. The results of operations of each acquisition are included in our consolidated statement of income from the date of such acquisition.

 

 

One of our directors, who has served on our Board of Directors since 1988, became a director of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, in fiscal 2002 and continues to serve as a director of TSMC. Management believes the terms and prices for the purchases of products from TSMC are not affected by the presence of one of our directors on the Board of Directors of TSMC. We purchased approximately $302 million, $281 million and $224 million of products from TSMC in fiscal years 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively. Approximately $47 million and $17 million were payable to TSMC as of November 3, 2007 and October 28, 2006, respectively. We anticipate that we will make significant purchases from TSMC in fiscal year 2008.

 

 

 

At November 3, 2007, cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled $1,081.2 million, a decrease of $1,047.1 million from the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006. The primary sources of funds for fiscal 2007 were net cash generated from operating activities of $820.4 million and proceeds of $109.1 million from our employee stock plans. The principal uses of funds during fiscal 2007 were the repurchase of approximately 45.9 million shares of our common stock for an aggregate of $1,647.2 million, dividend payments of $228.3 million and capital expenditures of $141.8 million.

 

In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell our Baseband Chipset Business to MediaTek Inc. The cash flows from this discontinued operation have been combined with the operating, investing and financing cash flows from continuing operations (i.e. no separate classification of cash flows from discontinued operations) for all periods presented. We believe the absence of the cash flows from this discontinued operation will not have a material impact on our future liquidity and financial position. Additionally, as a result of this agreement, we reclassified certain assets and liabilities related to this business to assets or liabilities of discontinued operations. See Note 2u. to our Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report onForm 10-Kfor further information regarding this discontinued operation.

 

The anticipated closure of the sale of our Baseband Chipset Business to MediaTek Inc. and the anticipated closure of the sale of our CPU voltage regulation and PC thermal monitoring business to ON Semiconductor

Corporation are expected to generate approximately $250 million to $270 million of cash in fiscal 2008 after the payment of all applicable taxes.

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable at the end of fiscal 2007 increased by $30.6 million, or 10%, from the amount at the end of fiscal 2006. This increase was the result of higher sales in the last month of fiscal 2007 as compared to the last month of fiscal 2006.

 

Inventories at the end of fiscal 2007 decreased by $15.4 million, or 4%, from the amount at the end of fiscal 2006 and days cost of sales in inventory at the end of fiscal 2007 decreased by 15 days from the amount at the end of fiscal 2006. The decrease in inventory is a result of our continued effort to balance production, demand and inventory levels as well as the sale of inventory (valued at approximately $19 million at October 28, 2006) which had been built during fiscal 2006 in anticipation of the closure of the Sunnyvale, California wafer fabrication facility.

 

Current liabilities increased to $548.1 million at November 3, 2007, an increase of $57.2 million, or 11.6%, from $490.9 million at the end of fiscal 2006.

 

Net additions to property, plant and equipment including that related to our Baseband Chipset Business, which is reflected as a discontinued operation, were $141.8 million in fiscal 2007, $129.3 million in fiscal 2006 and $85.5 million in fiscal 2005. Fiscal 2008 capital expenditures are expected to total approximately $160 million.

 

During fiscal 2007, our Board of Directors declared cash dividends totaling $0.70 per outstanding share of common stock resulting in dividend payments of $228.3 million in fiscal 2007. The payment of future dividends, if any, will be based on several factors including our financial performance, outlook and liquidity. After the end of the fiscal year, on November 26, 2007, our Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.18 per outstanding share of our common stock. The dividend is payable on December 26, 2007 to shareholders of record on December 7, 2007 and is expected to total approximately $54 million.

 

On May 11, 2005, our Board of Directors authorized an increase in the aggregate dollar amount of common stock that may be repurchased under our share repurchase program previously adopted by our Board of Directors on August 11, 2004 from $500 million to $1 billion. On March 14, 2006, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase by us of an additional $1 billion of our common stock, increasing the total amount of our common stock we can repurchase from $1 billion to $2 billion of our common stock. On December 6, 2006, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase by us of an additional $1 billion of our common stock, increasing the total amount of our common stock we are authorized to repurchase from $2 billion to $3 billion. On June 6, 2007, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase by us of an additional $1 billion of our common stock, increasing the total amount of our common stock we are authorized to repurchase from $3 billion to $4 billion. Under the repurchase program, we may repurchase outstanding shares of our common stock from time to time in the open market and through privately negotiated transactions. Unless terminated earlier by resolution of our Board of Directors, the repurchase program will expire when we have repurchased all shares authorized for repurchase under the repurchase program. During fiscal 2007, we repurchased approximately $1,647.2 million of our common stock under this plan. As of November 3, 2007, we had $665.2 million of authorized repurchases remaining under our repurchase program. We plan to continue to repurchase shares during fiscal 2008. The timing and number of shares repurchased can not be reasonably estimated at this time; however, from the end of fiscal year 2007 through November 26, 2007, we repurchased approximately 4.6 million shares for approximately $151 million.

The table below summarizes our contractual obligations as of November 3, 2007:

 

 

 

 

Purchase orders for the purchase of raw materials and other goods and services are not included in the table above. We are not able to determine the total amount of these purchase orders that represent contractual obligations, as purchase orders may represent authorizations to purchase rather than binding agreements. In addition, our purchase orders generally allow for cancellation without significant penalties. We do not have significant agreements for the purchase of raw materials or other goods specifying minimum quantities or set prices that exceed our expected short-term requirements.

 

The expected timing of payments and the amounts of the obligations discussed above are estimated based on current information.

 

At November 3, 2007, our principal source of liquidity was $1,081.2 million of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments. We believe that our existing sources of liquidity and cash expected to be generated from future operations, together with anticipated available long-term financing, will be sufficient to fund operations, capital expenditures and research and development efforts for at least the next twelve months and thereafter for the foreseeable future.

 

 

As of November 3, 2007, we had no off-balance sheet financing arrangements.

 

 

The following statements are based on current expectations. These statements are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. Unless specifically mentioned, these statements do not give effect to the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, or business combinations that may be announced or closed after the date of filing this report. These statements supersede all prior statements regarding business outlook made by the Company. Upon entering into the definitive agreement to sell our CPU Voltage regulator and PC thermal monitoring

business on November 8, 2007, the assets of this business met the held-for-sale criteria, and will therefore be reclassified as discontinued operations during the first quarter of fiscal 2008. This business generated approximately $25 million of sales in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007. Therefore, once we reclassify the $25 million of revenue to discontinued operations, our fourth quarter revenue will be $623 million. On this basis, we expect product sales from continuing operations in the first quarter of fiscal 2008 to be approximately $610 million to $635 million. Gross margin percentage is planned to be up slightly in the first quarter of fiscal 2008 as compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007. Diluted EPS is planned to be approximately $0.38 to $0.42 for the first quarter of fiscal 2008.

 

As previously announced, we also expect to close on the sales of two businesses in the first quarter of fiscal 2008. The estimated gains on these sales are not reflected in the estimates above. We expect to realize a gain, net of tax, of between approximately $150 million and $160 million related to the sale of our Baseband Chipset Business to MediaTek Inc. We also expect to recognize a gain, net of taxes of between approximately $52 million and $60 million related to the sale of our CPU voltage regulation and PC thermal monitoring business. The gains on both of these sales will be included in income from discontinued operations.

 

 

 

In February 2007, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (SFAS) 159, The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities — Including an amendment of FASB Statement No. 115 (SFAS 159). SFAS 159 permits entities to choose to measure many financial instruments and certain other items at fair value. The objective is to improve financial reporting by providing entities with the opportunity to mitigate volatility in reported earnings caused by measuring related assets and liabilities differently without having to apply complex hedge accounting provisions. SFAS 159 is effective as of the beginning of an entity’s first fiscal year that begins after November 15, 2007, which is our fiscal year 2009 that begins on November 2, 2008. We are currently evaluating the impact, if any, that SFAS 159 may have on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

 

In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS 157, Fair Value Measurements (SFAS 157). SFAS 157 provides enhanced guidance for using fair value to measure assets and liabilities. The standard also responds to investors’ requests for expanded information about the extent to which companies measure assets and liabilities at fair value, the information used to measure fair value and the effect of fair value measurements on earnings. SFAS 157 applies whenever other standards require or permit assets or liabilities to be measured at fair value. This standard does not expand the use of fair value in any new circumstances. SFAS 157 is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007, which is our fiscal year 2009 that begins on November 2, 2008. We are currently evaluating the impact that SFAS 157 may have on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

 

In September 2006, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) No. 108, Considering the Effects of Prior Year Misstatements when Quantifying Misstatements in Current Year Financial Statements (SAB 108). This SAB provides guidance on the consideration of the effects of prior year misstatements in quantifying current year misstatements for the purpose of a materiality assessment. SAB 108 establishes an approach that requires quantification of financial statement errors based on the effects on each of the company’s balance sheet and statement of operations and the related financial statement disclosures. SAB 108 permits existing public companies to record the cumulative effect of initially applying this approach in the first year ending after November 15, 2006 by recording the necessary correcting adjustments to the carrying values of assets and liabilities as of the beginning of that year with the offsetting adjustment recorded to the opening balance of retained earnings. Additionally, the use of the cumulative effect transition method requires detailed disclosure of the nature and amount of each individual error being corrected through the cumulative adjustment and how and when it arose. The adoption of SAB 108 in the first quarter of fiscal 2007 did not have any impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

 

In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 158,Employers’ Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans — An Amendment of FASB Statements No. 87, 88, 106, and 132R (SFAS 158). SFAS 158 requires companies to recognize the funded status of pension and other postretirement benefit plans on sponsoring employers’ balance sheets and to recognize changes in the funded status in the year the changes occur. It also requires the measurement date of plan assets and obligations to occur at the end of the employers’ fiscal year. SFAS 158 was effective for us at the end of fiscal 2007, except for the change in measurement date, which is effective for us in fiscal 2009. The adoption of SFAS 158 in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007 did not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

 

 

In June 2006, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 48,Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes — an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109 (FIN 48). FIN 48 clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements in accordance with SFAS 109, Accounting for Income Taxes.FIN 48 prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. FIN 48 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure, and transition. FIN 48 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2006. We are currently evaluating the impact, if any, that FIN 48 may have on our financial condition or results of operations.

 

 

Management’s discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations is based upon the consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We base our estimates and judgments on historical experience, knowledge of current conditions and beliefs of what could occur in the future based on available information. We consider the following accounting policies to be both those most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and those that require the most subjective judgment. If actual results differ significantly from management’s estimates and projections, there could be a material effect on our financial statements. We also have other policies that we consider key accounting policies, such as our policy for revenue recognition, including the deferral of revenue on sales to distributors until the products are sold to the end user; however, the application of these policies does not require us to make significant estimates or judgments that are difficult or subjective.

 

 

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost(first-in,first-out method) or market. Because of the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry, changes in inventory levels, obsolescence of technology, and product life cycles, we write down inventories to net realizable value. We employ a variety of methodologies to determine the net realizable value of inventory. While a portion of the calculation is determined via reference to the age of inventory and lower of cost or market calculations, an element is subject to significant judgments made by us about future demand for our inventory. If actual demand for our products is less than our estimates, additional adjustments to existing inventories may need to be recorded in future periods.

 

 

We maintain allowances for doubtful accounts, when appropriate, for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make required payments. If the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate, our actual losses may exceed our estimates, and additional allowances would be required.

 

We review property, plant, and equipment and identified intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assets is measured by comparison of their carrying value to future undiscounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate over their remaining economic lives. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized in earnings equals the amount by which the carrying value of the assets exceeds their fair market value determined by either a quoted market price, if any, or a value determined by utilizing a discounted cash flow technique. Although we have recognized no material impairment adjustments related to our property, plant, and equipment and identified intangible assets during the past three fiscal years, except those made in conjunction with restructuring actions, deterioration in our business in the future could lead to such impairment adjustments in future periods. Evaluation of impairment of long-lived assets requires estimates of future operating results that are used in the preparation of the expected future undiscounted cash flows. Actual future operating results and the remaining economic lives of our long-lived assets could differ from the estimates used in assessing the recoverability of these assets. These differences could result in impairment charges, which could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations. In addition, in certain instances, assets may not be impaired but their estimated useful lives may have decreased. In these situations, we amortize the remaining net book values over the revised useful lives.

 

 

In accordance with SFAS 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, goodwill is subject to annual impairment tests, or earlier if indicators of potential impairment exist and suggest that the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable from estimated discounted future cash flows. Because we have one reporting segment under SFAS 142, we utilize the entity-wide approach to assess goodwill for impairment and compare our market value to our net book value to determine if an impairment exists. These impairment tests may result in impairment losses that could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

 

 

We account for income taxes in accordance with SFAS 109,Accounting for Income Taxes, which requires that deferred tax assets and liabilities be recognized using enacted tax rates for the effect of temporary differences between the book and tax bases of recorded assets and liabilities. SFAS 109 also requires that deferred tax assets be reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. We evaluate the realizability of our deferred tax assets quarterly. At November 3, 2007, we had gross deferred tax assets of $210.9 million primarily resulting from temporary differences between the book and tax bases of assets and liabilities. We have conducted an assessment of the likelihood of realization of those deferred tax assets and concluded that a $46.8 million valuation allowance is needed to reserve the amount of the deferred tax assets that may not be realized due to the expiration of certain state credit carryovers. In reaching our conclusion, we evaluated certain relevant criteria including the existence of deferred tax liabilities that can be used to absorb deferred tax assets, the taxable income in prior carryback years in the impacted state jurisdictions that can be used to absorb net operating losses and taxable income in future years. Our judgments regarding future profitability may change due to future market conditions, changes in U.S. or international tax laws and other factors. These changes, if any, may require material adjustments to these deferred tax assets, resulting in a reduction in net income or an increase in net loss in the period when such determinations are made.

 

In the ordinary course of global business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax outcome is uncertain. Some of these uncertainties arise as a consequence of cost reimbursement and royalty arrangements among related entities. Although we believe our estimates are reasonable, no assurance can be given that the final tax outcome of these matters will not be different than that which is reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals. Such differences could have a material impact on our income tax provision and operating results in the period in which such determination is made.

 

The adoption of SFAS 123R in the first quarter of fiscal 2006 required that stock-based compensation expense associated with stock options and related awards be recognized in the statement of income, rather than being disclosed in a pro forma footnote to the consolidated financial statements. Determining the amount of stock-based compensation to be recorded requires us to develop estimates to be used in calculating the grant-date fair value of stock options. We calculate the grant-date fair values using the Black-Scholes valuation model. The use of valuation models requires us to make estimates of the following assumptions:

 

Expected volatility — We are responsible for estimating volatility and have considered a number of factors, including third-party estimates, when estimating volatility. For options granted prior to fiscal 2005, we used historical volatility to estimate the grant-date fair value of stock options. We changed our method of estimating expected volatility for all stock options granted for fiscal 2005 and thereafter from exclusively relying on historical volatility to exclusively relying on implied volatility. This change was the result of a thorough review we undertook, which included consultations with several third-party advisors. Historical volatility during the period commensurate with the expected term of our stock options over the past several years included a period of time when our stock price experienced unprecedented increases and subsequent declines. We believe that this past stock price volatility is unlikely to be indicative of future stock price behavior, and as such, we currently believe that the exclusive use of implied volatility results in a more accurate estimate of the grant-date fair value of employee stock options because it more appropriately reflects the market’s current expectations of future volatility. In evaluating the appropriateness of exclusively relying on implied volatility we concluded that: (1) options in the Company’s common stock are actively traded with sufficient volume on several exchanges; (2) the market prices of both the traded options and the underlying shares are measured at a similar point in time to each other and on a date close to the grant date of the employee share options; (3) the traded options have exercise prices that are both near-the-money and close to the exercise price of the employee share options; and (4) the maturities of the traded options used to estimate volatility are at least one year.

 

Expected term — We use historical employee exercise and option expiration data to estimate the expected term assumption for the Black-Scholes grant-date valuation. We believe that this historical data is currently the best estimate of the expected term of a new option, and that generally, all of our employees exhibit similar exercise behavior. In general, the longer the expected term used in the Black-Scholes valuation model, the higher the grant-date fair value of the option.

 

Risk-free interest rate — The yield on zero-coupon U.S. Treasury securities for a period that is commensurate with the expected term assumption is used as the risk-free interest rate.

 

Expected dividend yield — Expected dividend yield is calculated by annualizing the cash dividend declared by our Board of Directors for the current quarter and dividing that result by the closing stock price on the date of grant of the option. Until such time as our Board of Directors declares a cash dividend for an amount that is different from the current quarter’s cash dividend, the current dividend will be used in deriving this assumption. Cash dividends are not paid on options, restricted stock or restricted stock units.

 

The amount of stock-based compensation expense recognized during a period is based on the value of the portion of the awards that are ultimately expected to vest. SFAS 123R requires forfeitures to be estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates. The term “forfeitures” is distinct from “cancellations” or “expirations” and represents only the unvested portion of the surrendered option. Based on an analysis of our historical forfeitures, we have applied an annual forfeiture rate of 4.3% to all unvested stock-based awards as of November 3, 2007. The rate of 4.3% represents the portion that is expected to be forfeited each year over the vesting period. This analysis is re-evaluated quarterly and the forfeiture rate is adjusted as necessary. Ultimately, the actual expense recognized over the vesting period will only be for those awards that vest.

 

 

From time to time, we receive notices that our products or manufacturing processes may be infringing the patent or intellectual property rights of others. We periodically assess each matter to determine if a contingent

liability should be recorded in accordance with SFAS 5,Accounting for Contingencies. In making this determination, we may, depending on the nature of the matter, consult with internal and external legal counsel and technical experts. Based on the information we obtain, combined with our judgment regarding all the facts and circumstances of each matter, we determine whether it is probable that a contingent loss may be incurred and whether the amount of such loss can be reasonably estimated. If a loss is probable and reasonably estimable, we record a contingent loss in accordance with SFAS 5. In determining the amount of a contingent loss, we consider advice received from experts in the specific matter, current status of legal proceedings, settlement negotiations that may be ongoing, prior case history and other factors. If the judgments and estimates made by us are incorrect, we may need to record additional contingent losses that could materially adversely impact our results of operations. See Note 12 in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report onForm 10-Kfor additional information regarding our commitments and contingencies.

 

 

 

Based on our marketable securities and short term investments outstanding as of November 3, 2007 and October 28, 2006, our annual interest income would change by approximately $9 million and $16 million, respectively, for each 100 basis point increase or decrease in interest rates. The fair values of our investment portfolio at November 3, 2007 and October 28, 2006 would change by approximately $2 million and $6 million, respectively, for each 100 basis point increase or decrease in rates.

 

 

As more fully described in Note 2i. in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report onForm 10-K,we regularly hedge ournon-U.S. dollar-basedexposures by entering into forward exchange contracts. The terms of these contracts are for periods matching the duration of the underlying exposure and generally range from one month to twelve months. The fair values of these instruments were approximately $7 million at November 3, 2007 and were insignificant at October 28, 2006. Currently, our largest foreign currency exposure is the Euro, primarily because our European operations have the highest proportion of our local currency denominated expenses. Relative to foreign currency exposures existing at November 3, 2007 and October 28, 2006, a 10% unfavorable movement in foreign currency exchange rates would not expose us to significant losses in earnings or cash flows because we hedge substantially all of our year-end exposures against fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. For contracts outstanding at November 3, 2007, a 10% unfavorable movement in foreign currency exchange rates from the rates as of our 2007 fiscal year end would increase the fair value of our foreign currency financial instruments by approximately $24 million and a 10% favorable movement in foreign currency exchange rates would decrease their fair value by approximately $9 million. As at October 28, 2006, a 10% movement in foreign currency exchange rates from the rates as of our 2006 fiscal year end would not expose us to significant gains or losses in the contracts’ fair values. The calculation assumes that each exchange rate would change in the same direction relative to the U.S. dollar. In addition to the direct effects of changes in exchange rates, such changes typically affect the volume of sales or the foreign currency sales price as competitors’ products become more or less attractive. Our sensitivity analysis of the effects of changes in foreign currency exchange rates does not factor in a potential change in sales levels or local currency selling prices.

 

 

 

 

See accompanying Notes.

 

 

 

 

See accompanying Notes.