CLEARONE INC - Quarter Report: 2007 September (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
(Mark
One)
T Quarterly
Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
For
the
quarterly period ended September 30, 2007
OR
o Transition
Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
For
the
transition period from _______________ to _______________
Commission
file number: 000-17219
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Utah
|
87-0398877
|
|||
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation
or organization)
|
(I.R.S.
employer identification
number)
|
5225
Wiley Post Way, Suite 500
Salt
Lake City, Utah
|
84116
|
|||
(Address
of principal executive offices)
|
(Zip
Code)
|
Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code: (801)
975-7200
Indicate
by check whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be
filed
by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required
to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements
for
the past 90 days.
Yes
T No
o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of
“accelerated filer and larger accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange
Act. (Check one):
Larger
Accelerated Filer o Accelerated
Filer o Non-Accelerated
Filer T
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No T
Indicate
the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common
stock, as of the latest practicable date. There were 10,848,945
shares of the Company’s Common Stock, par value $0.001, outstanding on November
12, 2007.
1
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
INDEX
TO FORM 10-Q
FOR
THE QUARTER ENDED September 30, 2007
Page
Number
|
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3
|
||
Item
1
|
||
4
|
||
5
|
||
7
|
||
9
|
||
Item
2
|
14
|
|
Item
3
|
21
|
|
Item
4
|
21
|
|
Item
1
|
22
|
|
Item
1A
|
23
|
|
Item
2
|
28
|
|
Item
3
|
28
|
|
Item
4
|
28
|
|
Item
5
|
28
|
|
Item
6
|
28
|
|
29
|
DISCLOSURE
REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This
report contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements reflect our views
with respect to future events based upon information available to us at this
time. These forward-looking statements are subject to uncertainties
and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from
these statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified
by the use of the words “believe,” “may,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “expect,”
“anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “propose,” “plan,” “intend,” and similar
words and expressions; however, not all forward-looking statements contain
these
words. Examples of forward-looking statements are statements that
describe the proposed development, manufacturing, and sale of our products;
statements that describe our results of operations, pricing trends, the markets
for our products, our anticipated capital expenditures, our cost reduction
and
operational restructuring initiatives, and regulatory developments; statements
with regard to the nature and extent of competition we may face in the future;
statements with respect to the sources of and need for future financing;
and
statements with respect to future strategic plans, goals, and
objectives. Forward-looking statements are contained in this report
in Item 2, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations,” Item 3, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About
Market Risk,” and Item 4, “Controls and Procedures” included in this Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements are based on
present circumstances and on our predictions respecting events that have
not
occurred, that may not occur, or that may occur with different consequences
and
timing than those now assumed or anticipated. Actual events or
results may differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking
statements as a result of various factors, including the risk factors discussed
in this report under Part II – Other Information, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and
the application of “Critical Accounting Policies” as discussed in Item 2,
“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations.” These cautionary statements are intended to be
applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever they appear
in
this report. The cautionary statements contained or referred to in
this report should also be considered in connection with any subsequent written
or oral forward-looking statements that may be issued by us or persons acting
on
our behalf. Any forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of
this
report and ClearOne assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements
to reflect subsequent events, changes in circumstances, or changes in
estimates.
References
in this quarterly Form 10-Q to “ClearOne”, “we”, “us”, “CLRO” or the “Company”
refer to ClearOne Communications, Inc., a Utah corporation, and, unless the
context otherwise requires or is otherwise expressly stated, its
subsidiaries.
PART
I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item
1.
|
Financial
Statements
|
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
(unaudited)
|
||||||||
September 30,
|
June 30,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2007
|
|||||||
ASSETS
|
||||||||
Current
assets:
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ |
2,506
|
$ |
2,782
|
||||
Marketable
securities
|
21,102
|
19,871
|
||||||
Accounts
receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $56 and $54,
respectively
|
8,053
|
8,025
|
||||||
Note
Receivable
|
166
|
163
|
||||||
Inventories,
net
|
7,490
|
7,263
|
||||||
Income
tax receivable
|
326
|
0
|
||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
122
|
0
|
||||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
336
|
213
|
||||||
Total
current assets
|
40,101
|
38,317
|
||||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
2,619
|
2,694
|
||||||
Note
Receiveable - long-term
|
0
|
43
|
||||||
Other
assets
|
9
|
9
|
||||||
Total
assets
|
$ |
42,729
|
$ |
41,063
|
||||
LIABILITIES
AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
||||||||
Current
liabilities:
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable
|
$ |
2,198
|
$ |
1,745
|
||||
Accrued
taxes
|
0
|
660
|
||||||
Accrued
liabilities
|
3,411
|
1,874
|
||||||
Deferred
product revenue
|
5,875
|
4,872
|
||||||
Total
current liabilities
|
11,484
|
9,151
|
||||||
Deferred
rent
|
816
|
855
|
||||||
Deferred
income taxes, net
|
122
|
0
|
||||||
Other
long-term liabilities
|
958
|
619
|
||||||
Total
liabilities
|
13,380
|
10,625
|
||||||
Shareholders'
equity:
|
||||||||
Common
stock, par value $.001, 50,000,000 shares authorized,10,937,460
and
10,861,920 shares issued and outstanding, respectively
|
11
|
11
|
||||||
Additional
paid-in-capital
|
47,712
|
47,582
|
||||||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(18,374 | ) | (17,155 | ) | ||||
Total
shareholders' equity
|
29,349
|
30,438
|
||||||
Total
liabilities and shareholders' equity
|
$ |
42,729
|
$ |
41,063
|
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Three
Months Ended September 30,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Revenue
|
$ |
9,442
|
$ |
9,411
|
||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
4,299
|
4,316
|
||||||
Gross
profit
|
5,143
|
5,095
|
||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
||||||||
Marketing
and selling
|
1,601
|
1,918
|
||||||
Research
and product development
|
1,756
|
2,079
|
||||||
General
and administrative
|
2,895
|
809
|
||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
6,252
|
4,806
|
||||||
Operating
income (loss)
|
(1,109 | ) |
289
|
|||||
Other
income (expense), net
|
||||||||
Interest
Income
|
313
|
307
|
||||||
Other,
net
|
28
|
25
|
||||||
Total
other income, net
|
341
|
332
|
||||||
Income
(loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
|
(768 | ) |
621
|
|||||
Provision
(benefit) for income taxes
|
(171 | ) |
19
|
|||||
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
|
(939 | ) |
640
|
|||||
Discontinued
Operations:
|
||||||||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
0
|
55
|
||||||
Gain
on disposal of discontinued operations
|
24
|
3
|
||||||
Income
tax provision
|
(9 | ) | (21 | ) | ||||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
15
|
37
|
||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$ | (924 | ) | $ |
677
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial
statements
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Three
Months Ended
|
||||||||
September 30,
|
September 30,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Basic
earnings per common share from continuing operations
|
$ | (0.09 | ) | $ |
0.05
|
|||
Diluted
earnings per common share from continuing operations
|
$ | (0.08 | ) | $ |
0.05
|
|||
Basic
earnings per common share from discontinued operations
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
-
|
||||
Diluted
earnings per common share from discontinued operations
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
-
|
||||
Basic
earnings per common share
|
$ | (0.08 | ) | $ |
0.06
|
|||
Diluted
earnings per common share
|
$ | (0.08 | ) | $ |
0.06
|
|||
Basic
weighted average shares
|
10,961,256
|
12,184,849
|
||||||
Diluted
weighted average shares
|
11,072,565
|
12,231,744
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial
statements
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Three
Months Ended
|
||||||||
September 30,
|
September 30,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
||||||||
Net
income (loss) from continuing operations
|
$ | (940 | ) | $ |
640
|
|||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income (loss) from continuing operations to net
cash
provided by operations:
|
||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization expense
|
188
|
268
|
||||||
Stock-based
compensation
|
171
|
230
|
||||||
Write-off
of inventory
|
331
|
111
|
||||||
(Gain)
loss on disposal of assets and fixed assets write-offs
|
3
|
-
|
||||||
Provision
for doubtful accounts
|
2
|
-
|
||||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities:
|
||||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
(133 | ) |
484
|
|||||
Note
receivable - Ken-A-Vision
|
40
|
(319 | ) | |||||
Inventories
|
(558 | ) |
324
|
|||||
Prepaid
expenses and other assets
|
(123 | ) |
67
|
|||||
Accounts
payable
|
557
|
(954 | ) | |||||
Accrued
liabilities
|
1,537
|
(261 | ) | |||||
Income
taxes
|
(942 | ) |
59
|
|||||
Deferred
product revenue
|
1,003
|
(622 | ) | |||||
Net
change in other assets/liabilities
|
1
|
(6 | ) | |||||
Net
cash provided by continuing operating activities
|
1,137
|
21
|
||||||
Net
cash provided by discontinued operating activities
|
-
|
35
|
||||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
1,137
|
56
|
||||||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
||||||||
Purchase
of property and equipment
|
(155 | ) | (112 | ) | ||||
Proceeds
from the sale of property and equipment
|
-
|
18
|
||||||
Purchase
of marketable securities
|
(5,681 | ) |
-
|
|||||
Sale
of marketable securities
|
4,450
|
-
|
||||||
Net
cash used in continuing investing activities
|
(1,386 | ) | (94 | ) | ||||
Net
cash provided by discontinued investing activities
|
15
|
567
|
||||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) investing activities
|
(1,371 | ) |
473
|
|||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
||||||||
Proceeds
from common stock
|
455
|
2
|
||||||
Common
stock purchased and retired
|
(566 | ) | (37 | ) | ||||
Tax
benefit attributable to exercise of stock options
|
69
|
-
|
||||||
Net
cash (used in) continuing financing activities
|
(42 | ) | (35 | ) | ||||
Net
increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
(276 | ) |
494
|
|||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period
|
2,782
|
1,240
|
||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at the end of the period
|
$ |
2,506
|
$ |
1,734
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial
statements
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Three
Months Ended
|
||||||||
September 30,
|
September 30,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Supplemental
disclosure of cash flow information:
|
||||||||
Cash
paid (received) for income taxes
|
$ |
1,052
|
$ | (57 | ) | |||
Supplemental
disclosure of non-cash financing activities:
|
||||||||
Exchanged
accounts receivable from a vendor with acccounts payable to the
same
vendor
|
$ |
103
|
$ |
-
|
||||
Increase
in accumulated deficit and income tax liability as a result of
the
adoption of FIN48 (see note 6)
|
$ |
295
|
$ |
-
|
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
1.
|
Basis
of Presentation
|
The
accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements, consisting of the
condensed consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2007 and June 30,
2007, the condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months
ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, and the condensed consolidated statements
of
cash flows for the three months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, have been
prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States for interim financial information and with the instructions
to
Form 10-Q. Accordingly, certain information and footnote disclosures
normally included in complete financial statements have been condensed or
omitted. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be
read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes
thereto
included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June
30,
2007.
In
management’s opinion, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring
adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been
included. The results of operations for interim periods are not
necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for the
entire year or for any future period.
2.
|
Inventory
|
Inventories,
net of reserves, consisted of the following as of September 30, 2007 and
June
30, 2007 (in thousands):
September 30,
|
June 30,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2007
|
|||||||
Raw
materials
|
$ |
439
|
$ |
453
|
||||
Finished
goods
|
4,902
|
4,695
|
||||||
Consigned
inventory
|
2,149
|
2,115
|
||||||
Total
inventory
|
$ |
7,490
|
$ |
7,263
|
Consigned
inventory represents inventory at distributors and other customers where
revenue
recognition criteria have not been achieved.
3.
|
Share-Based
Payment
|
The
Company’s share-based compensation primarily consists of the following
plans:
On
September 30, 2007, the Company had one active share-based compensation plan,
the 1998 Stock Option Plan (the “1998 Plan”). Provisions of the 1998
Plan include the granting of up to 2,500,000 incentive and non-qualified
stock
options. Options may be granted to directors, officers, and key
employees and may be granted upon such terms as the Board of Directors, in
their
sole discretion, determine. Through December 1999, 1,066,000 options
were granted that would cliff vest after 9.8 years; however, such vesting
was
accelerated for 637,089 of these options upon meeting certain earnings per
share
goals through the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003. Subsequent to
December 1999 and through June 2002, 1,248,250 options were granted that
would
cliff vest after 6.0 years; however, such vesting was accelerated for 300,494
of
these options upon meeting certain earnings per share goals through the fiscal
year ended June 30, 2005. As of September 30, 2007, 20,875 and
150,250 of these options that cliff vest after 9.8 and 6.0 years, respectively,
remain outstanding.
Of
the
options granted subsequent to June 2002, all vesting schedules are based
on 3 or
4-year vesting schedules, with either one-third or one-fourth vesting on
the
first anniversary and the remaining options vesting ratably over the remainder
of the vesting term. Generally, directors and officers have 3-year vesting
schedules and all other employees have 4-year vesting schedules. Additionally,
in the event of a change in control or the occurrence of a
corporate
transaction, the Company’s Board of Directors have the authority to elect that
all unvested options shall vest and become exercisable immediately prior
to the
event or closing of the transaction. All options outstanding as of September
30,
2007 had contractual lives of ten years. Under the 1998 Plan, 2,500,000 shares
were authorized for grant. The 1998 Plan expires June 10, 2008, or when all
the
shares available under the plan have been issued if this occurs earlier.
As of
September 30, 2007, there were 1,391,317 options outstanding under the 1998
Plan, which includes the cliff vesting and 3 or 4-year vesting options discussed
above.
The
Company also has an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”). Employees
can purchase common stock through payroll deductions of up to 10 percent
of
their base pay. Amounts deducted and accumulated by the employees are
used to purchase shares of common stock on or about the last day of each
month. The Company contributes to the account of the employee one
share of common stock for every nine shares purchased by the employee under
the
ESPP. The program was suspended during the period the Company failed
to remain current in its filing of periodic reports with the SEC and reinstated
in fiscal year 2007 after the Company became current.
Effective
July 1, 2005, the Company adopted SFAS No. 123R, “Share-Based Payment.” The
Company adopted the fair value recognition provisions of SFAS No. 123R using
the
modified prospective transition method. Under this transition method,
stock-based compensation cost recognized beginning July 1, 2005 includes
the
straight-line compensation cost for (a) all share-based payments granted
prior
to July 1, 2005, but not yet vested, based on the grant date fair values
used in
the pro-forma disclosures under the original SFAS No. 123 and (b) all
share-based payments granted on or after July 1, 2005, in accordance with
the
provisions of SFAS No. 123R.
The
Company uses judgment in determining the fair value of the share-based payments
on the date of grant using an option-pricing model with assumptions regarding
a
number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables
include, but are not limited to, the risk-free interest rate of the awards,
the
expected life of the awards, the expected volatility over the term of the
awards, the expected dividends of the awards, and an estimate of the amount
of
awards that are expected to be forfeited. The Company uses the
Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value of share-based
payments granted under SFAS No. 123R and the original SFAS No. 123.
4.
|
Discontinued
Operations
|
During
the first fiscal quarter of 2007, the Company completed the sales of its
document and educational camera product line to Ken-A-Vision
Manufacturing. Additionally, during fiscal 2005, the Company
completed the sale of its Canadian audiovisual integration services, OM Video,
to 6351352 Canada Inc, a Canada corporation (the “OM
Purchaser”). Accordingly, the results of operations and the financial
position have been reclassified in the accompanying condensed consolidated
financial statements as discontinued operations. Summary operating
results of the discontinued operations are as follows (in thousands of
dollars):
Three
Months Ended
|
||||||||
September 30,
|
September 30,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Income
from discontinued operations:
|
||||||||
Ken-A-Vision
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
55
|
||||
Gain
on disposal of discontinued operations:
|
||||||||
Ken-A-Vision
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
3
|
||||
OM
Video
|
24
|
-
|
||||||
Total
gain on disposal of discontinued operations
|
24
|
3
|
||||||
Income
tax (provision) benefit:
|
||||||||
Ken-A-Vision
|
$ |
-
|
$ | (21 | ) | |||
OM
Video
|
(9 | ) |
-
|
|||||
Total
income tax (provision) benefit
|
(9 | ) | (21 | ) | ||||
Total
income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes:
|
||||||||
Ken-A-Vision
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
37
|
||||
OM
Video
|
15
|
-
|
||||||
Total
income from discontinued operations,net of income taxes
|
$ |
15
|
$ |
37
|
OM
Video
On
March
4, 2005, the Company sold all of the issued and outstanding stock of its
Canadian subsidiary, ClearOne Communications of Canada, Inc. (“ClearOne Canada”)
to 6351352 Canada Inc., a Canada corporation. ClearOne Canada owned all the
issued and outstanding stock of Stechyson Electronics, Ltd., which conducts
business under the name OM Video. The Company agreed to sell the stock of
ClearOne Canada for $200 in cash; a $1.3 note receivable over a 15-month
period,
with interest accruing on the unpaid balance at the rate of 5.3 percent per
year; and contingent consideration ranging from 3.0 percent to 4.0 percent
of
related gross revenues over a five-year period. In June 2005, the Company
was
advised that the OM Purchaser had settled an action brought by the former
employer of certain of OM Purchaser’s owners and employees alleging violation of
non-competition agreements. The settlement reportedly involved a cash payment
and an agreement not to sell certain products for a period of one year. Based
on
an analysis of the facts and circumstances that existed at the end of fiscal
2005, and considering the guidance from Topic 5U of the SEC Rules and
Regulations, “Gain Recognition on the Sale of a Business or Operating Assets to
a Highly Leveraged Entity,” the gain is being recognized as cash is collected
(as collection was not reasonably assured). Through December 31, 2005, all
required payments had been made however, 6351352 Canada Inc. failed to make
any
subsequent, required payments under the note receivable until June 30, 2006,
when we received a payment of $50. The Company reevaluated its options and
concluded that its best course of action was to enforce its security and
appoint
a receiver over the assets of OM Video. As of September 30, 2007, the amount
of
the promissory note and contingent earn-out provision was approximately $660
which is net of $632 collected through receivership. The Company expects
to
collect up to an additional $5 which is net of receiver fees, over the next
several periods.
5.
|
Shareholders’
Equity
|
The
Company’s shareholders’ equity of $29.3 million at September 30, 2007 declined
approximately $1.1 million from June 30, 2007. During the first three months
of
fiscal 2008, the Company reported a loss of $924, reduced its July 1, 2007
balance of retained earnings by $295 upon its adoption of FASB issued
Interpretation No. 48 (“FIN 48”), Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes and
repurchased 88,000 shares at aggregate cost of $566. These items were
partially offset by approximately $240 in stock-based compensation and related
tax benefits and $455 upon the exercise of 163,495 stock options.
6.
|
Income
Taxes
|
In
July
2006, the FASB issued Interpretation No. 48 (“FIN 48”), Accounting for
Uncertainty in Income Taxes, which clarifies the accounting for uncertainty
in
income taxes recognized in the financial statements in accordance with FASB
Statement No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes. Under FIN 48, tax positions
shall initially be recognized in the financial statements when it is more
likely
than not the position will be sustained upon examination by the tax authorities.
Such tax positions shall initially and subsequently be measured as the largest
amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon
ultimate settlement with the tax authority assuming full knowledge of the
position and all relevant facts.
We
adopted the provisions of FIN 48 on July 1, 2007. Upon adoption, we
recognized a FIN 48 liability of $755 for permanent tax items. Included in
the
$755 liability is approximately $78 in interest and penalties related to
unrecognized tax benefits. We also recognized $159 of temporary FIN 48
liability. After taking our SFAS 5 “Accounting for Contingencies” contingent
liability balance of $618 from June 30, 2007 we posted a cumulative-effect
adjustment of approximately $295, increasing our liability for unrecognized
tax
benefits and reducing the July 1, 2007 balance of retained earnings. The
total
liability for unrecognized tax benefits at July 1, 2007, including temporary
tax
differences, was approximately $914.
During
our first fiscal quarter of 2008, we recorded approximately $45 related to
unrecognized tax benefits that would favorably impact our effective tax rate
if
recognized. Included in this amount is approximately $8 related to interest
and
penalties. The total outstanding balance for liabilities related to
unrecognized tax benefits at September 30, 2007 was $958 of which $86 was
associated with interest and penalties. We account for interest expense and
penalties for unrecognized tax benefits as part of our income tax
provision.
We
are
subject to income taxes in both the United States and in certain non-U.S.
jurisdictions. We estimate our current tax position together with our future
tax
consequences attributable to temporary differences resulting from differing
treatment of items, such as deferred revenue, depreciation, and other reserves
for tax and accounting purposes. These temporary differences result in deferred
tax assets and liabilities. We must then assess the likelihood that our deferred
tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income, prior year carryback,
or future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences. To the extent
we
believe that recovery is not more likely than not, we establish a valuation
allowance against these deferred tax assets. Significant management judgment
is
required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax
assets
and liabilities, and any valuation allowance recorded against our deferred
tax
assets. To the extent we establish a valuation allowance in a period, we
must
include and expense the allowance within the tax provision in the consolidated
statement of operations. The reversal of a previously established valuation
allowance results in a benefit for income taxes.
7.
|
Contingent
Liability
|
In
accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 5,
Accounting for Contingencies, the Company accrued $1.8 million in its
fiscal 2008 first quarter, representing the probable amount that as of the
date
of the financial statements could be reasonably estimated of its liability,
through trial, associated with the advancement of funds related to
indemnification agreements with two former officers. As disclosed in July
2007,
the Company was informed that two of its former officers have been indicted
by
the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Utah. The Company
has
been advised that a trial date has been set for January 22, 2008. The Company
is
cooperating fully with the U.S. Attorney's office in this matter and has
been
advised that it is neither a target nor a subject of the investigation or
indictment.
8.
|
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
|
In
September 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”)
issued the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 157 “Fair
Value Measurements.” This statement defines fair value,
establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted
accounting principles and expands disclosures about fair value. SFAS
157 expands the disclosures about the use of fair value to measure assets
and
liabilities in interim and annual periods subsequent to initial recognition.
The
disclosures focus on the inputs used to measure fair value, the recurring
fair
value measurements using significant unobservable inputs and the
effect of the measurement on earnings (or changes in net assets) for the
period. The guidance in SFAS 157 also applies
for derivatives and other financial instruments
measured at fair value under Statement 133
“Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities” at
initial recognition and in all subsequent periods. SFAS 157 is effective
for
fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007, and interim periods within
those
fiscal years. We are currently reviewing the requirements of SFAS
157, and at this point in time, have not determined what impact, if any,
SFAS
157 will have on our results of operations and financial position.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS 159 “The Fair Value Option for Financial
Assets and Financial Liabilities.” This statement permits entities to
choose to measure many financial instruments and certain other items at fair
value that are not currently required to be measured 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. This statement requires a business entity to
report unrealized gains and losses on items for which the fair value option
has
been elected in earnings at each subsequent reporting date. An entity
may decide whether to elect the fair value option for each eligible item
on its
election date, subject to certain requirements described in the statement.
SFAS
159 is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15,
2007. We are currently reviewing the requirements of this statement
and, at this point in time, have not determined the impact, if any, that
this
statement may have on our results of operations and financial
position.
9.
|
Compromise
Agreement and Release
|
The
Company entered into a compromise agreement and release with its former Managing
Director of Clear One Communications, Ltd. in connection with the cessation
of
his employment, which generally provided for his resignation from his position
and employment with the Company, the payment of remuneration of approximately
$94 representing six months’ notice, $10 for accrued but unused holiday pay, $32
severance, and a general release of claims against the Company by
him.
10.
|
Subsequent
Events
|
Pursuant
to the Company’s warehouse lease agreement dated September 20, 2006, the Company
modified the terms generally providing that effective March 31, 2008, the
Company will lease approximately 6,000 square feet for $3 per month which
will
be used by the Company for document and equipment storage. The Company currently
leases approximately 17,000 square feet of warehouse space for $8 per
month.
On
Monday, November 5, 2007, Chief Judge Tena Campbell
of the United States District Court, District of Utah, Central Division,
in the
case of ClearOne Communications, Inc. v. Andrew Chiang. et al.. Civil No
2:07ev00037TC, issued an order establishing the amount for the bond to be
posted
by ClearOne in conjunction with the Court's grant of ClearOne's motion for
a
preliminary injunction. This preliminary injunction order was issued by Chief
Judge Tena Campbell on October 30, 2007 and is more fully described in the
Form
8-K filed by the Company on November 1, 2007. The bond was set in the amount
of
$908. In accordance with the order, the Company placed the bond with the
clerk
of the Court on November 6, 2007. This litigation is subject to all of the
risks
and uncertainties of litigation and there can be no assurance as to the probable
result of litigation.
Item
2.
|
MANAGEMENT'S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS
|
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with our unaudited condensed
consolidated financial statements and related notes to condensed consolidated
financial statements included in this Form 10-Q and our audited consolidated
financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended June 30, 2007 filed with the SEC and management’s discussion and analysis
contained therein. This discussion contains forward-looking
statements based on current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties,
such as our plans, objectives, expectations, and intentions, as set forth
under
“Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results
and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in
these
forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those
set
forth in the following discussion and under the caption “Risk Factors” in Part
II, Item 1A, as well as other information found in the documents we file
from
time to time with the SEC. Unless otherwise indicated, all references
to a year reflect our fiscal year that ends on June 30.
BUSINESS
OVERVIEW
We
are an
audio conferencing products company. We develop, manufacture, market, and
service a comprehensive line of high-quality audio conferencing products,
which
range from personal conferencing products to tabletop conferencing phones
to
professionally installed audio systems. We also manufacture and sell
conferencing furniture. We have a strong history of product innovation and
plan
to continue to apply our expertise in audio engineering to develop and introduce
innovative new products and enhance our existing products. We believe the
performance and reliability of our high-quality audio products create a natural
communications environment, which saves organizations of all sizes time and
money by enabling more effective and efficient communication.
Our
products are used by organizations of all sizes to accomplish effective group
communication. Our end-users range from some of the world’s largest and most
prestigious companies and institutions to small and medium-sized businesses,
educational institutions, and government organizations as well as individual
consumers. We sell our products to these end-users primarily through a network
of independent distributors who in turn sell our products to dealers, systems
integrators, and value-added resellers. The Company also sells products on
a
limited basis directly to dealers, systems integrators, value-added resellers,
and end-users.
CRITICAL
ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Our
discussion and analysis of our results of operations and financial condition
are
based upon our condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been
prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles. We review the accounting policies used in reporting our
financial results on a regular basis. The preparation of these
financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions
that
affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of
contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements
and
the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting
period. We evaluate our assumptions and estimates on an ongoing basis
and may employ outside experts to assist in our evaluations. We
believe that the estimates we use are reasonable; however, actual results
could
differ from those estimates. We believe the following critical
accounting policies affect our more significant assumptions and estimates
that
we used to prepare our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Revenue
and Associated Allowances for Revenue Adjustments and Doubtful
Accounts
Included
in continuing operations is product revenue, primarily from product sales
to
distributors, dealers, and end-users. Product revenue is recognized
when (i) the products are shipped and any right of return expires, (ii)
persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (iii) the price is fixed and
determinable, and (iv) collection is reasonably assured.
We
provide a right of return on product sales to
distributors. Currently, we do not have sufficient historical return
experience with our distributors that is predictive of future events given
historical excess levels of inventory in the distribution
channel. Accordingly, revenue from product sales to distributors is
not recognized until the return privilege has expired, which approximates
when
product is sold-through to customers of the Company’s distributors (dealers,
system integrators, value-added resellers, and end-users) rather than when
the
product is initially shipped to a distributor. We evaluate, at each
quarter-end, the inventory in the channel through information provided by
certain of our distributors. The level of inventory in the channel
will fluctuate up or down, each quarter, based upon our distributors’ individual
operations. Accordingly, each quarter-end revenue deferral is
calculated and recorded based upon the underlying, estimated channel inventory
at quarter-end. Although, certain distributors provide certain
channel inventory amounts, we make judgments and estimates with regard to
the
amount of inventory in the entire channel, for all customers and for all
channel inventory items, and the appropriate revenue and cost of goods
sold associated with those channel products. Although
these assumptions and judgments regarding total channel inventory revenue
and cost of goods sold could differ from actual amounts, we believe
that our calculations are indicative of actual levels of inventory in the
distribution channel. As of September 30, 2007, the Company deferred $5.9
million in revenue and $2.2 million in cost of goods sold related to products
sold where return rights had not lapsed. The amounts of deferred cost
of goods sold were included in consigned inventory. The following
table details the amount of deferred revenue and cost of goods sold at each
period end for the 21-month period ended September 30, 2007 (in
thousands).
Deferred
Revenue
|
Deferred
Cost of Goods Sold
|
Deferred
Gross Profit
|
||||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
$ |
5,875
|
$ |
2,149
|
$ |
3,726
|
||||||
June
30, 2007
|
4,872
|
2,115
|
2,757
|
|||||||||
March
31, 2007
|
5,111
|
2,265
|
2,846
|
|||||||||
December
31, 2006
|
4,711
|
2,166
|
2,545
|
|||||||||
September
30, 2006
|
5,249
|
2,541
|
2,708
|
|||||||||
June
30, 2006
|
5,871
|
2,817
|
3,054
|
|||||||||
March
31, 2006
|
5,355
|
2,443
|
2,912
|
|||||||||
December
31, 2005
|
4,936
|
2,199
|
2,737
|
We
offer
rebates and market development funds to certain of our distributors and direct
dealers/resellers based upon volume of product purchased by them. We
record rebates as a reduction of revenue in accordance with Emerging Issues
Task
Force (“EITF”) Issue No. 00-22, “Accounting for Points and Certain Other
Time-Based or Volume-Based Sales Incentive Offers, and Offers for Free Products
or Services to Be Delivered in the Future.” Beginning January 1,
2002, we adopted EITF Issue No. 01-9, “Accounting for Consideration Given by a
Vendor to a Customer (Including a Reseller of the Vendor’s
Products).” We continue to record rebates as a reduction of revenue
in the period revenue is recognized.
We
offer
credit terms on the sale of our products to a majority of our customers and
perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers’ financial
condition. We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts for
estimated losses resulting from the inability or unwillingness of our customers
to make required payments based upon our historical collection experience
and
expected collectibility of all accounts receivable. Our actual bad
debts in future periods may differ from our current estimates and the
differences may be material, which may have an adverse impact on our future
accounts receivable and cash position.
Purchased
Intangibles
We
assess
the impairment of intangibles annually or whenever events or changes in
circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be
recoverable. Some factors we consider important which could trigger
an impairment review include the following:
|
·
|
Significant
underperformance relative to projected future operating
results;
|
|
·
|
Significant
changes in the manner of our use of the acquired assets or the
strategy
for our overall business; and
|
|
·
|
Significant
negative industry or economic
trends.
|
If
we
determine that the carrying value of intangibles may not be recoverable based
upon the existence of one or more of the above indicators of impairment,
we
would typically measure any impairment based on a projected discounted cash
flow
method using a discount rate determined by us to be commensurate with the
risk
inherent in our current business model. We evaluate intangibles for
impairment at least annually.
We
plan
to conduct our annual impairment tests in the fourth quarter of every fiscal
year, unless impairment indicators exist sooner. Screening for and
assessing whether impairment indicators exist or if events or changes in
circumstances have occurred, including market conditions, operating
fundamentals, competition, and general economic conditions, requires significant
judgment. Additionally, changes in the high-technology industry occur
frequently and quickly. Therefore, there can be no assurance that a
charge to operations will not occur as a result of future purchased intangible
impairment tests.
Impairment
of Long-Lived Asset
We
assess
the impairment of long-lived assets, such as property, equipment, and
definite-lived intangibles subject to amortization, annually or whenever
events
or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset
may not
be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is
measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset or asset group
to
estimated future undiscounted net cash flows of the related asset or group
of
assets over their remaining lives. If the carrying amount of an asset
exceeds its estimated future undiscounted cash flows, an impairment charge
is
recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the estimated
fair value of the asset. Impairment of long-lived assets is assessed
at the lowest levels for which there are identifiable cash flows that are
independent of other groups of assets. The impairment of long-lived
assets requires judgments and estimates. If circumstances change,
such estimates could also change. Assets held for sale are reported
at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value, less the estimated costs
to
sell.
Accounting
for Income Taxes
We
are
subject to income taxes in both the United States and in certain non-U.S.
jurisdictions. We estimate our current tax position together with our
future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences resulting from
differing treatment of items, such as deferred revenue, depreciation, and
other
reserves for tax and accounting purposes. These temporary differences
result in deferred tax assets and liabilities. We must then assess
the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future
taxable income, prior year carryback, or future reversals of existing taxable
temporary differences. To the extent we believe that recovery is not
more likely than not, we establish a valuation allowance against these deferred
tax assets. Significant management judgment is required in
determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and
liabilities, and any valuation allowance recorded against our deferred tax
assets. To the extent we establish a valuation allowance in a period,
we must include an expense for the allowance within the tax provision in
the
condensed consolidated statement of operations. The reversal of a previously
established valuation allowance results in a benefit for income taxes. As
of
September 30, 2007 we continued to be fully reserved against our net deferred
tax assets which total to approximately $5.2 million.
Lower-of-Cost
or Market Adjustments and Reserves for Excess and Obsolete
Inventory
We
account for our inventory on a first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) basis, and make
appropriate adjustments on a quarterly basis to write down the value of
inventory to the lower-of-cost or market.
In
order
to determine what, if any, inventory needs to be written down, we perform
a
quarterly analysis of obsolete and slow-moving inventory. In general,
we write down our excess and obsolete inventory by an amount that is equal
to
the difference between the cost of the inventory and its estimated market
value
if market value is less than cost, based upon assumptions about future product
life-cycles, product demand, or market conditions. Those items that
are found to have a supply in excess of our estimated demand are considered
to
be slow-moving or obsolete and the appropriate reserve is made to write down
the
value of that inventory to its realizable value. These charges are
recorded in cost of goods sold. At the point of the loss recognition,
a new, lower-cost basis for that inventory is established and subsequent
changes
in facts and circumstances do not result in the restoration or increase in
that
newly established cost basis. If there were to be a sudden and
significant decrease in demand for our products, or if there were a higher
incidence of inventory obsolescence because of rapidly changing technology
and
customer requirements, we could be required to increase our inventory
allowances, and our gross profit could be adversely affected.
Share-Based
Payment
Prior
to
June 30, 2005 and as permitted under the original SFAS No. 123, we accounted
for
our share-based payments following the recognition and measurement principles
of
Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to
Employees,” as interpreted. Accordingly, no share-based compensation
expense had been reflected in our statements of operations for unmodified
option
grants since (1) the exercise price equaled the market value of the underlying
common stock on the grant date and (2) the related number of shares to be
granted upon exercise of the stock option was fixed on the grant
date.
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123R, “Share-Based
Payment.” SFAS No. 123R is a revision of SFAS No.
123. SFAS No. 123R establishes standards for the accounting for
transactions in which an entity exchanges its equity instruments for goods
or
services. Primarily, SFAS No. 123R focuses on accounting for
transactions in which an entity obtains employee services in share-based
payment
transactions. It also addresses transactions in which an entity
incurs liabilities in exchange for goods or services that are based on the
fair
value of the entity’s equity instruments or that may be settled by the issuance
of those equity instruments.
Under
SFAS No. 123R, we measure the cost of employee services received in exchange
for
an award of equity instruments based on the grant date fair value of the
award
(with limited exceptions). That cost will be recognized over the
period during which an employee is required to provide service in exchange
for
the awards – the requisite service period (usually the vesting
period). No compensation cost is recognized for equity instruments
for which employees do not render the requisite service. Therefore,
if an employee does not ultimately render the requisite service, the costs
associated with the unvested options will not be recognized,
cumulatively.
Effective
July 1, 2005, we adopted SFAS No. 123R and its fair value recognition provisions
using the modified prospective transition method. Under this
transition method, stock-based compensation cost recognized after July 1,
2005
includes the straight-line basis compensation cost for (a) all share-based
payments granted prior to July 1, 2005, but not yet vested, based on the
grant
date fair values used for the pro-forma disclosures under the original SFAS
No.
123 and (b) all share-based payments granted or modified on or after July
1,
2005, in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123R.
Under
SFAS No. 123R, we recognize compensation cost net of an anticipated forfeiture
rate and recognize the associated compensation cost for those awards expected
to
vest on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. We
use judgment in determining the fair value of the share-based payments on
the
date of grant using an option-pricing model with assumptions regarding a
number
of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include,
but are not limited to, the expected life of the awards, the expected volatility
over the term of the awards, the expected dividends of the awards, the risk-free
interest rate of the awards, and an estimate of the amount of awards that
are
expected to be forfeited. If assumptions change in the application of
SFAS No. 123R in future periods, the stock-based compensation cost ultimately
recorded under SFAS No. 123R may differ significantly from what was recorded
in
the current period.
SEASONALITY
Our
audio
conferencing products revenue has historically been strongest during our
second
and fourth quarters. There can be no assurance that any
historic sales patterns will continue and, as a result, sales for any prior
quarter are not necessarily indicative of the sales to be expected in any
future
quarter.
ANALYSIS
OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Results
of Operations for the three months or the first fiscal quarter (“1Q”) ended
September 30, 2007 and 2006
The
following table sets forth certain items from our unaudited condensed
consolidated statements of operations (in thousands) for the three months
ended
September 30, 2007 and 2006, together with the percentage of total revenue
which
each such item represents:
Three
Months Ended
(In thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||||
%
of Revenue
|
%
of Revenue
|
|||||||||||||||
Product
Revenue:
|
$ |
9,442
|
100.0 | % | $ |
9,411
|
100.0 | % | ||||||||
Cost
of goods sold:
|
||||||||||||||||
Total
cost of goods sold
|
4,299
|
45.5 | % |
4,316
|
45.9 | % | ||||||||||
Gross
profit
|
5,143
|
54.5 | % |
5,095
|
54.1 | % | ||||||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
||||||||||||||||
Marketing
and selling
|
1,601
|
17.0 | % |
1,918
|
20.4 | % | ||||||||||
Research
and product development
|
1,756
|
18.6 | % |
2,079
|
22.1 | % | ||||||||||
General
and administrative
|
2,895
|
30.7 | % |
809
|
8.6 | % | ||||||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
6,252
|
66.2 | % |
4,806
|
51.1 | % |
Revenue
Although
1Q 2008 revenue of $9.4 million was about even with 1Q 2007, the Company
realized growth in its professional audio and personal conferencing products
which collectively increased approximately $415,000 over 1Q 2007. The 1Q
2008
increases were offset by an approximate $385,000 collective decline in the
Company’s premium, tabletop and conferencing furniture lines over the same
period of 2007. The Company has not yet been able to fully penetrate and
realize
the potential within the premium or tabletop markets but continues to believe
it
has the differentiated products to become a formidable competitor in this
space.
We
evaluate, at each quarter-end, the inventory in the channel through information
provided by certain of our distributors. The level of inventory in the
channel will fluctuate up or down, each quarter, based upon our distributors’
individual operations. Accordingly, each quarter-end revenue deferral is
calculated and recorded based upon the underlying, estimated channel inventory
at quarter-end. During 1Q 2008 and 2007, the net change in deferred
revenue based on the net movement of inventory in the channel was a net deferral
of ($1 million) and net recognition of $622,000 in revenue,
respectively.
Total
revenues from sales outside of the United States accounted for 22% of total
revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2007 and 26% of total revenue
for the three months ended September 30, 2006, respectively.
Costs
of Goods Sold and Gross Profit
Costs
of
goods sold (“COGS”) from the product segment includes expenses associated with
finished goods purchased from outsourced manufacturers, the manufacture of
our
products, including material and direct labor, our manufacturing and operations
organization, property and equipment depreciation, warranty expense, freight
expense, royalty payments, and the allocation of overhead expenses.
The
following table displays our COGS and gross profit together with each item’s
amount as a percentage of total revenue:
Three
Months Ended
|
||||||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
September 30,
|
September 30,
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||||
%
of Revenue
|
%
of Revenue
|
|||||||||||||||
Product
Revenue:
|
$ |
9,442
|
100.0 | % | $ |
9,411
|
100.0 | % | ||||||||
Cost
of goods sold:
|
||||||||||||||||
Total
cost of goods sold
|
4,299
|
45.5 | % |
4,316
|
45.9 | % | ||||||||||
Gross
profit
|
5,143
|
54.5 | % |
5,095
|
54.1 | % |
The
Company’s gross profit margin (GPM), gross profit as a percentage of sales, was
54.5% and 54.1% in 1Q 2008 and 1Q 2007, respectively. Although GPM for each
comparative quarter was about the same, the Company realized a favorable
sales
mix in 1Q08 as its highest margin professional audio conferencing products
represented a larger portion of total revenue than in 1Q07, but GPM was
negatively impacted by an increase in the Company’s reserve for inventory
obsolescence required to account for an increase in slow-moving inventory
in
addition to unfavorable manufacturing variances.
Operating
Expenses
Operating
expenses include sales and marketing, general and administrative and research
and development expenses. 1Q 2008 operating expenses were $6.2 million, an
increase of $1.4 million, or 29%, from $4.8 million for 1Q 2007. The following
is a more detailed discussion of expenses related to operating
expenses.
Sales
and Marketing expenses. Sales
and marketing (S&M) expenses include selling, customer service, and
marketing expenses such as employee-related costs, allocations of overhead
expenses, trade shows, and other advertising and selling expenses. 1Q
2008 S&M expenses decreased approximately $300,000, or 17%, to $1.6 million
compared to 1Q 2007 expenses of $1.9 million. As a percentage of revenues,
1Q
2008 and 2007 marketing and selling expenses were 17.0% and 20.4%,
respectively. The lower total 1Q 2008 S&M expenses in dollar
terms and as a percentage of sales from 1Q 2007 can be attributed primarily
to
lower payroll and related expenses associated with lower overall S&M
headcount.
Research
and product development
expenses. Research and product
development (R&D) expenses include research and development, product line
management, engineering services, and test and application expenses, including
employee-related costs, outside services, expensed materials, depreciation,
and
an allocation of overhead expenses. 1Q 2008 R&D expenses
decreased to $1.8 million from $2.1 million in 1Q 2007. As a
percentage of revenues, 1Q 2008 and 2007 R&D expenses were 18.6% and 22.1%,
respectively. The 1Q 2008 percentage and dollar decreases were due primarily
to
lower R&D project expenses as compared to 1Q 2007 when the Company was
heavily involved in working towards launching its next generation of
professional product, Converge Pro.
General
and administrative
expenses. General and
administrative (G&A) expenses include employee-related costs, professional
service fees, allocations of overhead expenses, litigation costs, including
costs associated with the SEC investigation and subsequent litigation, and
corporate administrative costs, including finance and human resources. 1Q
2008
G&A expenses increased $2.1 million to $2.9 million compared to 1Q 2007
expenses of $800,000. 1Q 2008 and 2007 G&A expenses were 30.7% and 8.6% of
sales, respectively. The significant 1Q 2008 increase was primarily
due estimating and establishing a $1.8 million accrual for a contingent
liability. In accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 5,
Accounting for Contingencies, the Company accrued $1.8 million in its
fiscal 2008 first quarter, representing the probable amount that as of the
date
of the financial statements could be reasonably estimated of its liability,
through trial, associated with the advancement of funds related to
indemnification agreements with two former officers. As disclosed in July
2007,
the Company was informed that two of its former officers have been indicted
by
the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Utah. The Company
has
been advised that a trial date has been set for January 22, 2008. The Company
is
cooperating fully with the U.S. Attorney's office in this matter and has
been
advised that it is neither a target nor a subject of the investigation or
indictment. Also, during 1Q 2008 the Company paid Edward D. Bagley, the
Company’s former director and Chairman the sum of $200,000 upon his resignation
and in consideration for his service as a director of the Company since
1994.
Operating
income. 1Q 2008 operating loss was ($1.1 million) compared
to operating income of $289,000 in 1Q 2007. The 1Q 2008 operating
income decrease of approximately $1.4 million was due mainly to the $1.8
million
contingent liability charged to general & administrative expenses associated
with the advancement of funds under the indemnification agreements with two
former officers, partially offset by the $300,000 decreases in both the S&M
and R&D expenses discussed above.
Other
income, net. Other income, net, includes interest income,
interest expense, capital gains, gain (loss) on the disposal of assets, and
currency gain (loss). 1Q 2008 other income was $341,000, slightly
higher from other income of $332,000 in 1Q 2007.
Income
(loss) from continuing operations before income
taxes. 1Q 2008 loss from
continuing operations was ($939,000) compared to income of $640,000 in 1Q
2007. As a percentage of revenues, 1Q 2008 and 2007 income (loss)
from continuing operations was (9.9%) and 6.8%, respectively. The Company’s 1Q
2008 operating loss was partially offset by the $341,000 in other income
in
addition to the $171,000 benefit from income taxes.
Income
(loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax. During 1Q
2008 and 2007 we recorded income from discontinued operations, net of tax
of
$15,000 and $37,000, respectively. The 1Q 2008 income was exclusively related
to
funds received through the receivership of OM Video. The 1Q 2007 income of
$37,000 was related to income from the discontinued operations of the document
and educational camera product line.
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
As
of
September 30, 2007, our cash and cash equivalents were approximately $2.5
million and our marketable securities were approximately $21.1 million,
representing an overall increase of about $950,000 in our balances from June
30,
2007 which had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $2.8 million and
marketable securities of approximately $19.8 million.
Net
cash
flows provided by operating activities were $1.1 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2007, an increase of $1.1 million from the net cash flows
provided by operating activities of $56,000 for the three months ended September
30, 2006. The year-over-year increase can be attributed primarily to
cash provided by changes in working capital of about $2.6 million partially
offset by the approximately $1.6 million decrease in net income from continuing
operations.
Net
cash
flows used in investing activities were approximately $1.4 million for the
three
months ended September 30, 2007, a decrease of about $1.8 million from the
net
cash flows provided by investing activities of $473,000 for the three months
ended September 30, 2006. The change was primarily attributable to
the purchase of $1.2 million in marketable securities and during the three
months ending September 30, 2007.
Net
cash
(used in) financing activities for the three months ended September 30, 2007
totaled ($42,000) and was attributed to the Company’s repurchase of
approximately 88,000 shares of common stock for $566,000, partially offset
by
the receipt of $455,000 from the exercise of stock options and $69,000 related
to the tax benefit attributable to the exercise of those stock
options.
Management
believes that future income from operations and effective management of working
capital will provide the liquidity needed to finance growth plans. In addition
to capital expenditures, the Company plans to use cash during the remainder
of
fiscal 2008 for selective infusions of technological, marketing or product
manufacturing rights to broaden the Company's product offerings; for continued
share repurchases; and if available for a reasonable price, acquisitions
that
may strategically fit the Company’s business and are accretive to
performance.
Item
3.
|
QUANTITATIVE
AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET
RISK
|
Our
exposure to market risk has not changed materially since June 30,
2007.
Item
4.
|
CONTROLS
AND PROCEDURES
|
We
maintain disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that information
required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Securities Exchange
Act
of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), is recorded, processed, summarized,
and reported within the required time periods and that such information is
accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive
Officer and Principal Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely
decisions regarding required disclosure. The effectiveness of any
system of disclosure controls and procedures is subject to certain limitations,
including the exercise of judgment in designing, implementing, and evaluating
the controls and procedures, the assumptions used in identifying the likelihood
of future events, and the inability to eliminate improper conduct
completely. A controls system, no matter how well-designed and
operated, cannot provide absolute assurance that the objectives of the controls
system are met, and no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance
that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within a company
have
been detected. As a result, there can be no assurance that our
disclosure controls and procedures will detect all errors or fraud.
As
required by Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act, we have completed an evaluation,
under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including
the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, of the
effectiveness and the design and operation of our disclosure controls and
procedures as of September 30 , 2007.
Based
upon this evaluation, our management, including the Chief Executive Officer
and
the Chief Financial Officer, has concluded that our disclosure controls and
procedures were effective as of September 30, 2007.
There
were no changes in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting that
occurred during the quarter ended September 30, 2007, that have materially
affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal
controls over financial reporting.
PART
II - OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1.
|
LEGAL
PROCEEDINGS
|
Legal
Proceedings. In addition to the legal proceedings described
below, we are also involved from time to time in various claims and other
legal
proceedings which arise in the normal course of business. Such matters are
subject to many uncertainties and outcomes that are not predictable. However,
based on the information available to us as of November 9, 2007 and after
discussions with legal counsel, we do not believe any such other proceedings
will have a material, adverse effect on our business, results of operations,
financial position, or liquidity, except as described below.
Theft
of Intellectual Property and Copyright Complaints. In January 2007, the
Company filed a lawsuit in the Third Judicial District Court, Salt Lake County,
State of Utah against WideBand Solutions, Inc. and two of its principals,
one
former employee named Dr. Jun Yang, and one previously affiliated with the
Company (the “Intellectual Property Case”). ClearOne also brought claims against
Biamp Systems Corporation, Inc. The matter was subsequently removed to federal
court, the United States District Court, District of Utah, Central Division.
The
case is styled ClearOne Communications, Inc. v. Jun Yang, et. al. Civil
No. 2:07-co-37 TC. The Complaint brings claims against different
combinations of the defendants for, among other things, misappropriation
of
certain trade secrets, breach of contract, conversion, unjust enrichment
and
intentional interference with business and contractual relations. The relief
being sought by the Company includes an order enjoining the defendants from
further use of the Company’s trade secrets and an award consisting of, among
other things, compensation and damages related to the unjust enrichment of
the
defendants. The Court subsequently granted leave to add a third WideBand
principal as a defendant to the case. In August 2007, the Company filed a
motion
for a preliminary injunction in the United States District Court, District
of
Utah, seeking to enjoin Wideband Solutions, Inc. from licensing certain
technology the Company believes constitutes its intellectual property and
trade
secrets to Harman Music Group, Inc. On October 30, 2007, the Chief
Judge of the United States District Court, the Honorable Tena Campbell, issued
a
Memorandum Decision and Order (the “Injunction Order”). The
Injunction Order “GRANTS ClearOne’s motion for a Preliminary Injunction,” and
orders that “Dr. Yang, as well as his agents, servants, officers, employees,
entities and those acting under his direction and control, are hereby enjoined
from working on or delivering any computer code – either source code or object
code – to Harman until the completion of the trial.” In reaching its
decision, the Court found that Dr. Yang was subject to a valid and enforceable
Confidentiality, Non-Competition, and Invention Assignment Agreement (the
“NDA”), and that ClearOne had demonstrated “a substantial likelihood that
ClearOne will succeed on its claims that Dr. Yang violated the NDA” and derived
the code that WideBand was attempting to license to Harman from code belonging
to ClearOne. The Injunction Order is Docket Entry 572. On Monday, October
29,
2007, the Company filed a second action against WideBand and the same three
principals named as defendants in the Intellectual Property Case, this time
alleging copyright infringement, vicarious copyright infringement, and
contributory copyright infringement (the “Copyright Case”). The claims in the
Copyright Case arise out of a copyright issued to the Company for the same
computer code that is the subject of the claims in the Intellectual Property
Case. The relief being sought by the Company includes an order enjoining
the
defendants from further use of the Company’s copyrighted material, and an award
consisting of, among other things, compensation and damages related the
copyright infringement. The defendants in the Copyright Case have not yet
filed
a response. This litigation is subject to all of the risks and uncertainties
of
litigation and there can be no assurance as to the probable result of this
litigation.
Former
Officer Indemnification. In July 2007, the Company was advised that the
United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah indicted two former
officers of the Company. The Company has been advised that a trial date has
been
set for January 22, 2008. The Company is cooperating fully with the U.S.
Attorney’s office in this matter and has been advised that it is neither a
target nor a subject of the investigation or indictment. By virtue of certain
provisions of the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and
indemnification agreements with these former officers, the Company has a
direct
financial obligation to advance funds related to the indemnification agreements
with each former officer for any liability and for all reasonable attorney’s
fees and costs incurred in defending against the charges brought by the United
States Attorney. In accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 5, Accounting for Contingencies, ClearOne accrued $1.8 million in its
fiscal
2008 first quarter, representing the probable amount that as of the date
of the
financial statements could be reasonably estimated of its liability, through
trial, associated with the advancement of funds related to the indemnification
agreements. The $1.8 million accrual is management’s best estimate of the
Company’s liability as of the date of the issuance of its financial statements.
In accordance with SFAS 5, the Company will adjust its contingent liability,
as
necessary, to reflect the probable amount of its liability that can be
reasonably estimated. The Company’s actual liability may be higher or lower than
management’s estimate upon final resolution of the matter.
RISK
FACTORS
|
Investors
should carefully consider the risks described below. The risks described
below
are not the only ones we face and there are risks that we are not presently
aware of or that we currently believe are immaterial that may also impair
our
business operations. Any of these risks could harm our business. The trading
price of our common stock could decline significantly due to any of these
risks,
and investors may lose all or part of their investment. In assessing these
risks, investors should also refer to the other information contained or
incorporated by reference in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including
our
September 30, 2007 unaudited condensed consolidated financial
statements and related notes.
Risks
Relating to Our Business
We
face intense competition in all markets for our products and services; our
operating results will be adversely affected if we cannot compete effectively
against other companies.
As
described in more detail in the section entitled “Competition,” in our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2007, the markets for our
products and services are characterized by intense competition and pricing
pressures and rapid technological change. We compete with businesses
having substantially greater financial, research and development, manufacturing,
marketing, and other resources. If we are not able to continually
design, manufacture, and successfully introduce new or enhanced products
or
services that are comparable or superior to those provided by our competitors
and at comparable or better prices, we could experience pricing pressures
and
reduced sales, gross profit, profits, and market share, each of which could
have
a materially adverse effect on our business.
Difficulties
in estimating customer demand in our products segment could harm our profit
margins.
Orders
from our distributors and other distribution participants are based on demand
from end-users. Prospective end-user demand is difficult to measure. This
means
that our revenues in any fiscal quarter could be adversely impacted by low
end-user demand, which could in turn negatively affect orders we receive
from
distributors and dealers. Our expectations for both short- and long-term
future
net revenues are based on our own estimates of future demand.
Revenues
for any particular time period are difficult to predict with any degree of
certainty. We usually ship products within a short time after we receive
an
order; so consequently, unshipped backlog has not been a good indicator of
future revenues. We believe that the current level of backlog will fluctuate
dependent in part on our ability to forecast revenue mix and plan our
manufacturing accordingly. A significant portion of our customers’ orders are
received in the last month of the quarter. We budget the amount of our expenses
based on our revenue estimates. If our estimates of sales are not accurate
and
we experience unforeseen variability in our revenues and operating results,
we
may be unable to adjust our expense levels accordingly and our gross profit
and
results of operations will be adversely affected. Higher inventory levels
or
stock shortages may also result from difficulties in estimating customer
demand.
Our
sales depend to a certain extent on government funding and
regulation.
In
the
audio conferencing products market, the revenues generated from sales of
our
audio conferencing products for distance learning and courtroom facilities
are
dependent on government funding. In the event government funding for
such initiatives was reduced or became unavailable, our sales could be
negatively impacted. Additionally, many of our products are subject to
governmental regulations. New regulations could significantly impact sales
in an
adverse manner.
Environmental
laws and regulations subject us to a number of risks and could result in
significant costs and impact on revenue
New
regulations regarding the materials used in manufacturing, the process of
disposing of electronic equipment, and the efficient use of energy have emerged
in the last few years. The first implementations of these regulations have
taken
place in Europe and have required significant effort from ClearOne to comply.
Other countries and U.S. states are currently enacting or considering similar
regulations, which could require additional resources and effort from ClearOne
to comply.
The
European Parliament has published the RoHS Directive, which restricts the
use of
certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment beginning
July 1, 2006. In order to comply with this directive, it has become necessary
to
re-design the majority of our products and switch over to components that
do not
contain the restricted substances, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. This
process involves procurement of the new compliant components, engineering
effort
to design, develop, test, and validate them, and re-submitting these re-designed
products for multiple country emissions, safety, and telephone line interface
compliance testing and approvals. This effort has consumed resources and
time
that would otherwise have been spent on new product development, which will
continue until the products have been updated.
To
date,
we have completed the re-design of our products and are shipping these products
into the European market. Certain of our products will not be re-designed.
Accordingly, sales into the European market may be negatively impacted and
our
results of operations could suffer. Our outsourced manufacturers may hold
us
responsible for the cost of purchased components that have become obsolete
as a
result of our re-design efforts. To the extent that we cannot manage these
potential exposures to our current estimates, our results of operations could
be
negatively impacted. In addition, because this has essentially become a
worldwide issue for all electronics manufacturers who wish to sell into the
European market, we have seen increased lead times for compliant components
because of the increased demand. This is an issue that is not unique to
ClearOne, but also applies to many manufacturers exporting products to the
European Union.
The
European Parliament has also published the WEEE Directive, which makes producers
of certain electrical and electronic equipment financially responsible for
collection, reuse, recycling, treatment, and disposal of equipment placed
on the
European Union market after August 13, 2005. We are currently compliant in
terms
of the labeling requirements and have finalized the recycling processes with
the
appropriate entities within Europe. According to our understanding of the
directive, distributors of our product are deemed producers and must comply
with
this directive by contracting with a recycler for the recovery, recycling,
and
reuse of product. We have also completed the re-design of power supplies
on
certain products bringing us into compliance with a California law regarding
efficient use of energy which went into effect in July 2007.
Product
development delays or defects could harm our competitive position and reduce
our
revenues.
We
have,
in the past, and may again experience, technical difficulties and delays
with
the development and introduction of new products. Many of the products we
develop contain sophisticated and complicated circuitry, software and
components, and utilize manufacturing techniques involving new technologies.
Potential difficulties in the development process that could be experienced
by
us include difficulty in:
|
·
|
meeting
required specifications and regulatory
standards;
|
|
·
|
meeting
market expectations for
performance;
|
|
·
|
hiring
and keeping a sufficient number of skilled
developers;
|
|
·
|
obtaining
prototype products at anticipated cost
levels;
|
|
·
|
having
the ability to identify problems or product defects in the development
cycle; and
|
|
·
|
achieving
necessary manufacturing
efficiencies.
|
Once
new
products reach the market, they may have defects, or may be met by unanticipated
new competitive products, which could adversely affect market acceptance
of
these products and our reputation. If we are not able to manage and minimize
such potential difficulties, our business and results of operations could
be
negatively affected.
Our
profitability may be adversely affected by our continuing dependence on our
distribution channels.
We
market
our products primarily through a network of distributors who in turn sell
our
products to systems integrators, dealers, and value-added resellers. All
of our
agreements with such distributors and other distribution participants are
non-exclusive, terminable at will by either party and generally short-term.
No
assurances can be given that any or all such distributors or other distribution
participants will continue their relationship with us. Distributors and to
a
lesser extent systems integrators, dealers, and value-added resellers cannot
easily be replaced, and the loss of revenues and our inability to reduce
expenses to compensate for the loss of revenues could adversely affect our
net
revenues and profit margins.
Although
we rely on our distribution channels to sell our products, our distributors
and
other distribution participants are not obligated to devote any specified
amount
of time, resources, or efforts to the marketing of our products or to sell
a
specified number of our products. There are no prohibitions on distributors
or
other resellers offering products that are competitive with our products
and
some do offer competitive products. The support of our products by distributors
and other distribution participants may depend on the competitive strength
of
our products and the price incentives we offer for their support. If our
distributors and other distribution participants are not committed to our
products, our revenues and profit margins may be adversely
affected.
Reporting
of channel inventory by certain distributors.
We
defer
recognition of revenue from product sales to distributors until the return
privilege has expired, which approximates when product is sold-through to
customers of our distributors. We evaluate, at each quarter-end, the inventory
in the channel through information provided by certain of our distributors.
We
use this information along with our judgment and estimates to determine the
amount of inventory in the entire channel, for all customers and for all
inventory items, and the appropriate revenue and cost of goods sold associated
with those channel products. We cannot guarantee that the third party data,
as
reported, or that our assumptions and judgments regarding total channel
inventory revenue and cost of goods sold, will be accurate. We periodically
audit a limited number of distributors.
We
depend on an outsourced manufacturing strategy.
In
August
2005, we entered into a manufacturing agreement with a manufacturing services
provider, to manufacturer substantially all the products that were previously
manufactured at our Salt Lake City, Utah manufacturing facility. Subsequently,
we entered into agreements with offshore manufacturers who also manufacture
several of our product lines. If these manufacturers experience difficulties
in
obtaining sufficient supplies of components, component prices significantly
exceed anticipated costs, an interruption in their operations, or otherwise
suffer capacity constraints, we would experience a delay in shipping these
products which would have a negative impact on our revenues. Should there
be any
disruption in services due to natural disaster, economic or political
difficulties, quarantines, transportation restrictions, acts of terror, or
other
restrictions associated with infectious diseases, or other similar events,
or
any other reason, such disruption would have a material adverse effect on
our
business. Operating in the international environment exposes us to certain
inherent risks, including unexpected changes in regulatory requirements and
tariffs, and potentially adverse tax consequences, which could materially
affect
our results of operations. Currently, we have no second source of manufacturing
for some of our products.
The
cost
of delivered product from our contract manufacturers is a direct function
of
their ability to buy components at a competitive price and to realize
efficiencies and economies of scale within their overall business structure.
If
they are unsuccessful in driving efficient cost models, our delivered costs
could rise, affecting our profitability and ability to compete. In addition,
if
the contract manufacturers are unable to achieve greater operational
efficiencies, delivery schedules for new product development and current
product
delivery could be negatively impacted.
Product
obsolescence could harm demand for our products and could adversely affect
our
revenues and our results of operations.
Our
industry is subject to rapid and frequent technological innovations that
could
render existing technologies in our products obsolete and thereby decrease
market demand for such products. If any of our products become slow-moving
or
obsolete and the recorded value of our inventory is greater than its market
value, we will be required to write down the value of our inventory to its
fair
market value, which would adversely affect our results of operations. In
limited
circumstances, we are required to purchase components that our outsourced
manufacturers use to produce and assemble our products. Should technological
innovations render these components obsolete, we will be required to write
down
the value of this inventory, which could adversely affect our results of
operations.
If
we
are unable to protect our intellectual property rights or have insufficient
proprietary rights, our business would be materially
impaired.
We
currently rely primarily on a combination of trade secrets, copyrights,
trademarks, patents, patents pending, and nondisclosure agreements to establish
and protect our proprietary rights in our products. No assurances can be
given
that others will not independently develop similar technologies, or duplicate
or
design around aspects of our technology. In addition, we cannot assure that
any
patent or registered trademark owned by us will not be invalidated, circumvented
or challenged, or that the rights granted thereunder will provide competitive
advantages to us. Litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual
property rights. We believe our products and other proprietary rights do
not
infringe upon any proprietary rights of third parties; however, we cannot
assure
that third parties will not assert infringement claims in the future. Our
industry is characterized by vigorous protection of intellectual property
rights. Such claims and the resulting litigation are expensive and could
divert
management’s attention, regardless of their merit. In the event of a claim, we
might be required to license third-party technology or redesign our products,
which may not be possible or economically feasible.
We
currently hold only a limited number of patents. To the extent that we have
patentable technology for which we have not filed patent applications, others
may be able to use such technology or even gain priority over us by patenting
such technology themselves.
International
sales account for a significant portion of our net revenue and risks inherent
in
international sales could harm our business.
International
sales represent a significant portion of our total product sales. We anticipate
that the portion of our total product revenue from international sales will
continue to increase as we further enhance our focus on developing new products,
establishing new distribution partners, strengthening our presence in key
growth
areas, and improving product localization with country-specific product
documentation and marketing materials. Our international business is subject
to
the financial and operating risks of conducting business internationally,
including:
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·
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unexpected
changes in, or the imposition of, additional legislative or regulatory
requirements;
|
|
·
|
unique
environmental regulations;
|
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·
|
fluctuating
exchange rates;
|
|
·
|
tariffs
and other barriers;
|
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·
|
difficulties
in staffing and managing foreign sales
operations;
|
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·
|
import
and export restrictions;
|
|
·
|
greater
difficulties in accounts receivable collection and longer payment
cycles;
|
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·
|
potentially
adverse tax consequences;
|
|
·
|
potential
hostilities and changes in diplomatic and trade relationships;
and
|
|
·
|
disruption
in services due to natural disaster, economic or political difficulties,
quarantines, transportation, or other restrictions associated with
infectious diseases.
|
We
may not be able to hire and retain qualified key and highly-skilled technical
employees, which could affect our ability to compete effectively and may
cause
our revenue and profitability to decline.
We
depend
on our ability to hire and retain qualified key and highly-skilled
employees to manage, research and develop, market, and service new and existing
products. Competition for such key and highly-skilled employees is intense,
and
we may not be successful in attracting or retaining such personnel. To succeed,
we must hire and retain employees who are highly skilled in the rapidly changing
communications and Internet technologies. Individuals who have the skills
and
can perform the services we need to provide our products and services are
in
great demand. Because the competition for qualified employees in our industry
is
intense, hiring and retaining employees with the skills we need is both
time-consuming and expensive. We might not be able to hire enough skilled
employees or retain the employees we do hire. In addition, provisions of
the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related rules of the SEC impose heightened
personal liability on some of our key employees. The threat of such liability
could make it more difficult to identify, hire and retain qualified key and
highly-skilled employees. We have relied on our ability to grant stock options
as a means of recruiting and retaining key employees. Recent accounting
regulations requiring the expensing of stock options will impair our future
ability to provide these incentives without incurring associated compensation
costs. Our inability to hire and retain employees with the skills we seek
could hinder our ability to sell our existing products, systems, or services
or
to develop new products, systems, or services with a consequent adverse effect
on our business, results of operations, financial position, or
liquidity.
Our
reliance on third-party technology or license agreements.
We
have
licensing agreements with various suppliers for software and hardware
incorporated into our products. These third-party licenses may not continue
to
be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. The termination
or impairment of these licenses could result in delays of current product
shipments or delays or reductions in new product introductions until equivalent
designs could be developed, licensed, and integrated, if at all possible,
which
would have a material adverse effect on our business.
We
may have difficulty in collecting outstanding receivables.
We
grant
credit without requiring collateral to substantially all of our customers.
In
times of economic uncertainty, the risks relating to the granting of such
credit
would typically increase. Although we monitor and mitigate the risks
associated with our credit policies, we cannot ensure that such mitigation
will
be effective. We have experienced losses due to customers failing to meet
their
obligations. Future losses could be significant and, if incurred, could harm
our
business and have a material adverse effect on our operating results and
financial position.
Interruptions
to our business could adversely affect our operations.
As
with
any company, our operations are at risk of being interrupted by earthquake,
fire, flood, and other natural and human-caused disasters, including disease
and
terrorist attacks. Our operations are also at risk of power loss,
telecommunications failure, and other infrastructure and technology based
problems. To help guard against such risks, we carry business interruption
loss
insurance to help compensate us for losses that may occur.
Risks
Relating to Our Company
Our
stock price fluctuates as a result of the conduct of our business and stock
market fluctuations.
The
market price of our common stock has experienced significant fluctuations
and
may continue to fluctuate significantly. The market price of our common stock
may be significantly affected by a variety of factors, including:
|
·
|
statements
or changes in opinions, ratings, or earnings estimates made by
brokerage
firms or industry analysts relating to the market in which we do
business
or relating to us specifically;
|
|
·
|
disparity
between our reported results and the projections of
analysts;
|
|
·
|
the
shift in sales mix of products that we currently sell to a sales
mix of
lower-gross profit product
offerings;
|
|
·
|
the
level and mix of inventory levels held by our
distributors;
|
|
·
|
the
announcement of new products or product enhancements by us or our
competitors;
|
|
·
|
technological
innovations by us or our
competitors;
|
|
·
|
success
in meeting targeted availability dates for new or redesigned
products;
|
|
·
|
the
ability to profitably and efficiently manage our supplies of products
and
key components;
|
|
·
|
the
ability to maintain profitable relationships with our
customers;
|
|
·
|
the
ability to maintain an appropriate cost
structure;
|
|
·
|
quarterly
variations in our results of
operations;
|
|
·
|
general
consumer confidence or general market conditions or market conditions
specific to technology industries;
|
|
·
|
domestic
and international economic
conditions;
|
|
·
|
the
adoption of the new accounting standard, SFAS No. 123R, “Share-Based
Payments,” which requires us to record compensation expense for certain
options issued before July 1, 2005 and for all options issued or
modified
after June 30, 2005;
|
|
·
|
our
ability to report financial information in a timely manner;
and
|
|
·
|
the
markets in which our stock is
traded.
|
We
have previously identified material weaknesses in our internal
controls.
In
our
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, we reported and identified
a
material weakness in our internal controls. Although we believe we have remedied
this weakness through the commitment of considerable resources, we are always
at
risk that any future failure of our own internal controls or the internal
control at any of our outsourced manufacturers or partners could result in
additional reported material weaknesses. Any future failures of our internal
controls could have a material impact on our market capitalization, results
of
operations, or financial position, or have other adverse
consequences.
Item
2.
|
UNREGISTERED
SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF
PROCEEDS
|
Items
2(a) and (b) are not applicable
(c)
Stock
Repurchases
The
following table details purchases by ClearOne of its own securities during
1Q
2008.
ISSUER
PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Period
|
Total
Number of Shares Purchased
|
Average
Price Paid per Share
|
Total
Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans
or
Programs
|
Maximum
Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares that May by Purchased
Under
the Plans or Programs (1)
|
July
1, 2007 – July 31, 2007
|
0
|
N/A
|
0
|
$721,000
|
August
1, 2007 – August 31, 2007
|
51,243
|
$6.11
|
51,243
|
$3,312,000
|
September
1, 2007 – September 30, 2007
|
37,012
|
$6.84
|
37,012
|
$3,059,000
|
Total
|
88,255
|
88,255
|
(1)
|
On
August 31, 2006, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a stock
buy-back program to purchase up to $2 million of the Company’s common
stock over the following 12 months on the open market. All repurchased
shares were retired. The stock buy-back program expired in August
2007.
|
On
August
30, 2007, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a stock buy-back program to
purchase up to $3.6 million of the Company’s common stock over the next 12
months in open market and private block transactions. All repurchased shares
will be retired.
Item
3.
|
DEFAULTS
UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
|
Not
Applicable.
Item
4.
|
SUBMISSION
OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY
HOLDERS
|
Not
Applicable
Item
5.
|
OTHER
INFORMATION
|
Not
Applicable.
Item
6.
|
EXHIBITS
|
Exhibit
|
SEC
Ref.
|
|||
No.
|
No.
|
Title
of Document
|
Location
|
|
10
|
Compromise
Agreement between ClearOne Communications UK Limited and Martin
James
Offwood dated August 13, 2007
|
This
filing
|
||
10
|
Warehouse
Lease Agreement between Woodenshoe Development and ClearOne
Communications, Inc. dated October 5, 2007
|
This
filing
|
||
10.3
|
10
|
Warehouse
Lease Agreement between Alder Construction Company and ClearOne
Communications, Inc. dated September 20, 2006
|
Incorp. by
reference1
|
|
31
|
Section
302 Certification of Chief Executive Officer
|
This
filing
|
||
31
|
Section
302 Certification of Principal Financial Officer
|
This
filing
|
||
32
|
Section
906 Certification of Chief Executive Officer
|
This
filing
|
||
32
|
Section
906 Certification of Principal Financial Officer
|
This
filing
|
1
Incorporated by
reference to the Registrant’s Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30,
2006
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned
thereunto duly authorized.
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
|
||
November
12, 2007
|
By:
|
/s/
Zeynep Hakimoglu
|
Zeynep
Hakimoglu
|
||
President
and Chief Executive Officer
|
||
(Principal
Executive Officer)
|
||
November
12, 2007
|
By:
|
/s/
Greg A. LeClaire
|
Greg
A. LeClaire
|
||
VP
Finance
|
||
(Principal
Financial and Accounting
Officer)
|
29