Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following are risk factors that affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows, some of which are beyond our control. These risk factors should be considered in connection with evaluating the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. If any of the events described below were to actually occur, our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows could be adversely affected, and results could differ materially from expected and historical results.
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Risks Related to Our Operations
The COVID-19 pandemic and mitigation efforts to control the spread of the disease have and are expected to continue to materially impact our business, and our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected by factors relating to COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant volatility in the global economy and led to significant reduced market and economic activity and employment and has disrupted, and may continue to disrupt, the end markets we serve. The spread of COVID-19 has created a disruption in the manufacturing, delivery and overall supply chain of automobile manufacturers and suppliers. Global vehicle production has decreased, and as a result, we have modified our production schedules and have experienced, and may continue to experience, delays in the production and distribution of our products and the loss of sales to our customers. During the pandemic, our production volumes may be volatile, and we will be required to modify our production environment to ensure the health and safety of our workers. Additionally, if the global economic effects caused by the pandemic continue or increase, overall customer demand may continue to decrease, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. COVID-19 vaccines have received emergency use authorization from the United States government, but vaccine distribution has been slower than public officials hoped. Many jurisdictions continue to enforce orders restricting businesses’ normal operations, and reinstatement of broader “stay-at-home” directives and mandates remains a possibility. Additionally, the federal emergency supplemental unemployment benefit is scheduled to expire in March 2021. In addition, if a significant portion of our workforce or our customers’ workforces are affected by COVID-19 either directly or due to government closures or otherwise, associated work stoppages or facility closures would halt or delay production.
The full extent of the future effects of the pandemic on us, our customers, our supply chain, and our business cannot be assessed at this time, although we expect our 2021 results of operations are likely to be adversely affected. Our business, results of operations and financial condition could continue to be affected even after the pandemic subsides. In addition to the risks specifically described above, the impact of COVID-19 is likely to heighten other risks disclosed below.
We depend heavily on a relatively limited number of customers, and the loss of any major customer would have a material adverse effect on our business.
During 2020, sales to various U.S. and foreign divisions of our ten largest customers accounted for approximately 45% of our consolidated net sales. The loss of all or a substantial portion of sales to these customers would cause us to lose a substantial portion of our revenue and would lower our operating profit margin and cash flows from operations.
Work stoppages or similar difficulties and unanticipated business disruptions could significantly disrupt our operations, reduce our revenues and materially affect our earnings.
A work stoppage at one or more of our facilities could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. Also, if one or more of our customers were to experience a work stoppage, that customer would likely halt or limit purchases of our products. For example, increased demand for semiconductor chips in 2020, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic and an increased use of laptop computers, 5G phones, gaming systems and other IT equipment that use these chips, has resulted in a severe shortage of chips in early 2021. These same chips are used in automobiles in a variety of parts and information and entertainment systems. As a result, various automotive manufacturers have been forced to delay or stall new vehicle production. If efforts to address the chip shortage by the industry and the U.S government are unsuccessful, there may be further delays in new vehicle production, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
We have a complex network of suppliers, owned and leased manufacturing locations, co-manufacturing locations, distribution networks, and information systems that support our ability to consistently provide our products to our customers. Factors that are hard to predict or beyond our control, such as weather, raw material shortages, natural disasters, fires or explosions, political unrest, terrorism, generalized labor unrest, or health pandemics, such as COVID-19, could damage or disrupt our operations or our customers’, suppliers’, co-manufacturers’ or distributors’ operations. These disruptions may require additional resources to restore our supply chain or distribution network. If we cannot respond to disruptions in our operations, whether by finding alternative suppliers or replacing capacity at key manufacturing or distribution locations, or if we are unable to quickly repair damage to our information, production, or supply systems, we may be late in delivering, or be unable to deliver, products to our customers and may also be unable to track orders, inventory, receivables, and payables. If that occurs, our customers’ confidence in us and long-term demand for our products could decline. Any of these events could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
We operate in and sell products to customers outside the U.S. and are subject to several risks related to doing business internationally.
We obtain a majority of our raw materials from overseas suppliers, actively participate in overseas manufacturing operations and sell to a large number of international customers. During the year ended December 31, 2020, sales to customers located
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outside of the U.S. accounted for approximately 37% of our consolidated net sales. As a result of doing business internationally, we face risks associated with the following:
• changes in tariff regulations, which may make our products more costly to export or import;
• changes in monetary and fiscal policies, laws and regulations, and other activities of governments, agencies and similar organizations;
• recessions or marked declines specific to a particular country or region;
• the potential imposition of trade restrictions or prohibitions;
• the potential imposition of import tariffs or other duties or taxes;
• difficulties establishing and maintaining relationships with local original equipment manufacturers, distributors and dealers;
• difficulty in staffing and managing geographically diverse operations; and
• unstable governments or legal systems in countries in which our suppliers, manufacturing operations, and customers are located.
These and other risks may also increase the relative price of our products compared to those manufactured in other countries, thereby reducing the demand for our products in the markets in which we operate, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
In addition, we could be adversely affected by violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”) and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws, as well as export controls and economic sanction laws. The FCPA and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Our policies mandate compliance with these laws. We operate in many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree and, in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. We cannot assure you that our internal controls and procedures will always protect us from the improper acts committed by our employees or agents. If we are found to be liable for FCPA, export control or sanction violations, we could suffer from criminal or civil penalties or other sanctions, including loss of export privileges or authorization needed to conduct aspects of our international business, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
In addition, the prices we pay for raw materials used in our products may be impacted by tariffs. The tariffs initiated by the U.S. government in 2018 under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 resulted in increased metals prices in the United States. Any future tariffs or quotas imposed on steel and aluminum imports may increase the price of metal, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
Failure of our products could result in a product recall.
The majority of our products are components of our customers’ products that are used in critical industrial applications. A failure of our components could lead to a product recall. If a recall were to happen as a result of our components failing, we could bear a substantial part of the cost of correction. In addition to the cost of fixing the parts affected by the component, a recall could result in the loss of a portion of or all of the customer’s business and damage our reputation. A successful product recall claim requiring that we bear a substantial part of the cost of correction or the loss of a key customer could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
Our markets are highly competitive, and many of our competitors have significant advantages that could adversely affect our business.
We face substantial competition in the sale of components, system subassemblies, and finished devices in the vertical end markets into which we sell our products. Our competitors are continuously exploring and implementing improvements in technology and manufacturing processes in order to improve product quality, and our ability to remain competitive will depend, among other things, on whether we are able to keep pace with such quality improvements in a cost-effective manner. Due to this competitiveness, we may not be able to increase prices for our products to cover cost increases. In many cases we face pressure from our customers to reduce prices, which could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. In addition, our customers may choose to purchase products from one of our competitors rather than pay the prices we seek for our products, which could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
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Any loss of key personnel and the inability to attract and retain qualified employees could have a material adverse impact on our operations.
We are dependent on the continued services of key executives and personnel. The departure of our key personnel without adequate replacement could severely disrupt our business operations. Additionally, we need qualified managers and skilled employees with technical and manufacturing industry experience to operate our businesses successfully. From time to time, there may be shortages of skilled labor, which may make it more difficult and expensive for us to attract and retain qualified employees. If we are unable to attract and retain qualified individuals or our costs to do so increase significantly, our operations would be materially adversely affected.
Risks Related to Legal and Regulatory Compliance
Environmental, health and safety laws and regulations impose substantial costs and limitations on our operations, environmental compliance may be more costly than we expect, and any adverse regulatory action may materially adversely affect our business.
We are subject to extensive federal, state, local, and foreign environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations concerning matters such as air emissions, wastewater discharges, solid and hazardous waste handling, and disposal and the investigation and remediation of contamination. The risks of substantial costs, liabilities, and limitations on our operations related to compliance with these laws and regulations are an inherent part of our business, and future conditions may develop, arise or be discovered that create substantial environmental compliance or remediation liabilities and costs.
Compliance with environmental, health, and safety legislation and regulatory requirements may prove to be more limiting and costly than we anticipate. To date, we have committed significant expenditures in our efforts to achieve and maintain compliance with these requirements at our facilities, and we expect that we will continue to make significant expenditures related to such compliance in the future. From time to time, we may be subject to legal proceedings brought by private parties or governmental authorities with respect to environmental matters, including matters involving alleged noncompliance with or liability under environmental, health and safety laws, property damage or personal injury. New laws and regulations, including those which may relate to emissions of greenhouse gases, stricter enforcement of existing laws and regulations, the discovery of previously unknown contamination or the imposition of new clean-up requirements could require us to incur costs or become the basis for new or increased liabilities that could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
Our medical devices are subject to regulation by numerous government agencies, including the FDA and comparable agencies outside the U.S. To varying degrees, each of these agencies requires us to comply with laws and regulations governing the development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, marketing and distribution of our medical devices. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain marketing clearance for our new products or enhancements or modifications to existing products. If such approval is obtained, it may:
• take a significant amount of time;
• require the expenditure of substantial resources;
• involve stringent clinical and pre-clinical testing, as well as increased post-market surveillance;
• involve modifications, repairs or replacements of our products; and
• result in limitations on the proposed uses of our products.
Both before and after a product is commercially released, we have ongoing responsibilities under FDA regulations. We are also subject to periodic inspections by the FDA to determine compliance with the FDA’s requirements, including primarily the quality system regulations and medical device reporting regulations. The results of these inspections can include inspectional observations on FDA’s Form-483, warning letters, or other forms of enforcement. Since 2009, the FDA has significantly increased its oversight of companies subject to its regulations, including medical device companies, by hiring new investigators and stepping up inspections of manufacturing facilities. The FDA has also significantly increased the number of warning letters issued to companies. If the FDA were to conclude that we are not in compliance with applicable laws or regulations, or that any of our medical devices are ineffective or pose an unreasonable health risk, the FDA could ban such medical devices, detain or seize adulterated or misbranded medical devices, order a recall, repair, replacement or refund of such devices, refuse to grant pending pre-market approval applications or require certificates of foreign governments for exports, and/or require us to notify health professionals and others that the devices present unreasonable risks of substantial harm to the public health. The FDA may also impose operating restrictions on a company-wide basis, enjoin and/or restrain certain conduct resulting in violations of applicable law pertaining to medical devices, and assess civil or criminal penalties against our officers, employees, or us. The FDA may also recommend prosecution to the Department of Justice. Any adverse regulatory action, depending on its magnitude, may restrict us from effectively marketing and selling our products.
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Foreign governmental regulations have become increasingly stringent and more common, and we may become subject to more rigorous regulation by foreign governmental authorities in the future. Penalties for a company’s non-compliance with foreign governmental regulation could be severe, including revocation or suspension of a company’s business license and criminal sanctions. Any domestic or foreign governmental law or regulation imposed in the future may have a material adverse effect on us.
Risks Related to Our Capitalization
Our indebtedness could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
As of December 31, 2020, we had approximately $84.9 million of indebtedness outstanding and an additional $45.4 million of unused borrowing capacity under our debt agreements. Our debt obligations could have important consequences, including:
• increasing our vulnerability to adverse economic, industry, or competitive developments;
• requiring a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, therefore reducing our ability to use our cash flows to fund operations, capital expenditures, and future business opportunities;
• exposing us to the risk of increased interest rates, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly;
• making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our indebtedness, and any failure to comply with the obligations of any of our debt instruments, including restrictive covenants and borrowing conditions, could result in an event of default under our debt agreements;
• restricting us from making strategic acquisitions or causing us to make non-strategic divestitures;
• limiting our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, product and service development, debt service requirements, acquisitions, and general corporate or other purposes; and
• limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business or market conditions and placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors who are less highly leveraged and who, therefore, may be able to take advantage of opportunities that our leverage may prevent us from exploiting.
If any one of these events were to occur, our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. For more information regarding our indebtedness, please see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources.”
Despite our indebtedness level, we may still be able to incur substantial additional amounts of debt, which could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial indebtedness.
We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. Although our debt agreements contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of significant qualifications and exceptions, and under certain circumstances, the amount of indebtedness that could be incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. If new debt is added to our and our subsidiaries’ debt levels, the related risks that we now face could increase.
Our debt agreements contain restrictions that will limit our flexibility in operating our business.
Our debt agreements contain various incurrence covenants that limit our ability to engage in specified types of transactions. These incurrence covenants will limit our ability to, among other things:
• incur additional indebtedness or issue certain preferred equity;
• pay dividends on, repurchase, or make distributions in respect of our capital stock, prepay, redeem, or repurchase certain debt or make other restricted payments;
• make certain investments and acquisitions;
• create certain liens;
• enter into agreements restricting our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends to us;
• consolidate, merge, sell, or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets;
• alter our existing businesses; and
• enter into certain transactions with our affiliates.
In addition, the covenants in our debt agreements require us to meet specified financial ratios and satisfy other financial condition tests. Our ability to meet those financial ratios and tests will depend on our ongoing financial and operating
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performance, which, in turn, will be subject to economic conditions and to financial, market, and competitive factors, many of which are beyond our control. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under one or more of our debt agreements and permit our lenders to cease making loans to us under our credit facility (as defined below) or to accelerate the maturity date of the indebtedness incurred thereunder. Furthermore, if we were unable to repay the amounts due and payable under our secured debt agreements, our secured lenders could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure our borrowings. Such actions by the lenders could also cause cross defaults under our other debt agreements.
We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness, and we may not be able to refinance our debt obligations as they mature.
Our ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance our debt obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which is subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control. We may not be able to maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness.
We regularly review our capital structure, various financing alternatives and conditions in the debt and equity markets in order to opportunistically enhance our capital structure. In connection therewith, we may seek to refinance or retire existing indebtedness, incur new or additional indebtedness or issue equity or equity-linked securities, in each case, depending on market and other conditions. As our debt obligations mature or if our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, or to sell assets, seek additional capital, or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. Our ability to restructure or refinance our debt will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. The terms of our existing or future debt instruments may restrict us from adopting some of these alternatives. In addition, any failure to make payments of interest and principal on our outstanding indebtedness on a timely basis would likely result in a reduction of our credit rating, which could harm our ability to incur additional indebtedness. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations.
We have international operations that are subject to foreign economic uncertainties and foreign currency fluctuation.
Approximately 37% of our revenues are denominated in foreign currencies, which may result in additional risk of fluctuating currency values and exchange rates and controls on currency exchange. Changes in the value of foreign currencies could increase our U.S. dollar costs for, or reduce our U.S. dollar revenues from, our foreign operations. Any increased costs or reduced revenues as a result of foreign currency fluctuations could affect our profits. In 2020, the U.S. dollar strengthened against foreign currencies which unfavorably affected our revenue by $6.2 million. In contrast, a weakening of the U.S. dollar may beneficially affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
The price of our common stock may be volatile.
The market price of our common stock could be subject to significant fluctuations and may decline. Among the factors that could affect our stock price are:
• macro or micro-economic factors;
• our operating and financial performance and prospects;
• quarterly variations in the rate of growth of our financial indicators, such as earnings per share, net income and revenues;
• changes in revenue or earnings estimates or publication of research reports by analysts;
• loss of any member of our senior management team;
• speculation in the press or investment community;
• strategic actions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions or restructuring;
• sales of our common stock by stockholders;
• general market conditions;
• domestic and international economic, legal, and regulatory factors unrelated to our performance;
• loss of a major customer; and
• the declaration and payment of a dividend.
The stock markets in general have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock. In addition,
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due to the market capitalization of our stock, our stock tends to be more volatile than large capitalization stocks that comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average or Standard and Poor’s 500 Index.
Provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover, which could adversely affect the value of our common stock.
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as Delaware corporate law, contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change of control or changes in our management that a stockholder might consider favorable and may prevent shareholders from receiving a takeover premium for their shares. These provisions include, for example, a classified board of directors and the authorization of our board of directors to issue up to five million preferred shares without a stockholder vote. In addition, our certificate of incorporation provides that stockholders may not call a special meeting.
We are a Delaware corporation subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, an anti-takeover law. Generally, this statute prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which such person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. A business combination includes a merger, asset sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the stockholder. We anticipate that the provisions of Section 203 may encourage parties interested in acquiring us to negotiate in advance with our board of directors, because the stockholder approval requirement would be avoided if a majority of the directors then in office approve either the business combination or the transaction that results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder.
These provisions apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some of our stockholders. If a change of control or change in management is delayed or prevented, the market price of our common stock could decline.
Risks Related to Acquisitions and Divestitures
Acquisitions may constitute an important part of our future growth strategy.
Acquiring businesses that complement or expand our operations has been and may continue to be a key element of our business strategy. We regularly evaluate acquisition transactions, sign non-disclosure agreements, and participate in processes with respect to acquisitions, some of which may be material to us. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in identifying attractive acquisition candidates or completing acquisitions on favorable terms in the future. In addition, we may borrow funds or issue equity to acquire other businesses, increasing our interest expense and debt levels or diluting our existing stockholders’ ownership interest in us. Our inability to acquire businesses, or to operate them profitably once acquired, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Our borrowing agreements limit our ability to complete acquisitions without prior approval of our lenders. We have had difficulty with purchase accounting and other aspects related to the accounting for our acquisitions, which resulted in material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Although we have remediated these material weaknesses, there can be no assurances we will not face similar issues with respect to any future acquisitions.
We may not realize all of the anticipated benefits from completed acquisitions or any future strategic portfolio acquisition, or those benefits may take longer to realize than expected.
We either may not realize all of the anticipated benefits from completed acquisitions or any future strategic portfolio acquisition, or it may take longer to realize such benefits. Achieving those benefits depends on the timely, efficient, and successful execution of a number of post-acquisition events, including integrating the acquired businesses into our existing businesses. The integration process may disrupt the businesses and, if implemented ineffectively, would preclude the realization of the full anticipated benefits. The difficulties of combining the operations of acquired companies include, among others:
• the diversion of management’s attention to integration matters;
• difficulties in the integration of operations and systems, including, without limitation, the complexities associated with managing the expanded operations of a significantly larger and more complex company, addressing possible differences in corporate cultures and management philosophies and the challenge of integrating complex systems, technology, networks, and other assets of each of the acquired companies;
• difficulties in achieving anticipated cost savings, synergies, business opportunities, and growth prospects from combining the acquired businesses with our own;
• the inability to implement effective internal controls, procedures, and policies for acquired businesses as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 within the time periods prescribed thereby;
• the exposure to potential unknown liabilities and unforeseen increased expenses or delays associated with acquired businesses;
• challenges in keeping existing customers and obtaining new customers;
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• challenges in attracting and retaining key personnel; and
• the disruption of, or the loss of momentum in, ongoing operations or inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies.
Many of these factors will be outside of our control and any one of them could result in increased costs, decreases in the amount of expected revenues and diversion of management’s time and energy, which could materially impact our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
Additionally, we incurred a significant amount of debt in connection with our acquisitions in the past few years. Finally, in relation to such acquisitions, we have significantly higher amounts of intangible assets. These intangible assets will be subject to impairment testing, and we could incur a significant impact to our financial statements in the form of an impairment if assumptions and expectations related to our acquisitions are not realized.
The indemnification provisions of acquisition agreements by which we have acquired companies may not fully protect us and may result in unexpected liabilities.
Certain of the acquisition agreements from past acquisitions require the former owners to indemnify us against certain liabilities related to the operation of each of their companies before we acquired it. In most of these agreements, however, the liability of the former owners is limited in amount and duration and certain former owners may not be able to meet their indemnification responsibilities. These indemnification provisions may not fully protect us, and as a result we may face unexpected liabilities that adversely affect our profitability and financial position.
Our participation in joint ventures could expose us to additional risks from time to time.
We currently have a 49% investment in a Chinese joint venture and may participate in additional joint ventures from time to time. Our participation in joint ventures is subject to risks that may not be present with other methods of ownership, including:
• our joint venture partners could have investment and financing goals that are not consistent with our objectives, including the timing, terms, and strategies for any investments, and what levels of debt to incur or carry;
• we could experience an impasse on certain decisions because we do not have sole decision-making authority, which could require us to expend additional resources on resolving such impasses or potential disputes, including litigation or arbitration;
• our ability to transfer our interest in a joint venture to a third party may be restricted and the market for our interest may be limited;
• our joint venture partners might become bankrupt, fail to fund their share of required capital contributions or fail to fulfill their obligations as a joint venture partner, which may require us to infuse our own capital into the venture on behalf of the partner despite other competing uses for such capital; and
• our joint venture partners may have competing interests in our markets that could create conflict of interest issues.
Any divestitures and discontinued operations could negatively impact our business and retained liabilities from businesses that we may sell could adversely affect our financial results.
As part of our portfolio management process, we review our operations for businesses which may no longer be aligned with our strategic initiatives and long-term objectives. Divestitures pose risks and challenges that could negatively impact our business, including required separation or carve-out activities and costs, disputes with buyers, or potential impairment charges. We may also dispose of a business at a price or on terms that are less than we had previously anticipated. After reaching an agreement with a buyer for the disposition of a business, we are also subject to satisfaction of pre-closing conditions, as well as necessary regulatory and governmental approvals on acceptable terms, which may prevent us from completing a transaction. Dispositions may also involve continued financial involvement, as we may be required to retain responsibility for, or agree to indemnify buyers against contingent liabilities related to businesses sold, such as lawsuits, tax liabilities, lease payments, product liability claims, or environmental matters. Under these types of arrangements, performance by the divested businesses or other conditions outside of our control could affect future financial results.
General Risk Factors
Damage to our reputation could harm our business, including our competitive position and business prospects.
Our ability to attract and retain customers, suppliers, investors, and employees is impacted by our reputation. Harm to our reputation can arise from various sources, including employee misconduct, security breaches, unethical behavior, litigation, or regulatory outcomes. The consequences of damage to our reputation include, among other things, increasing the number of litigation claims and the size of damages asserted or subjecting us to enforcement actions, fines, and penalties, all of which would cause us to incur significant defense related costs and expenses.
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Changes in U.S. tax laws could have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flow, results of operations, and financial condition.
Changes in U.S. tax laws, tax rulings, or interpretations of existing laws could materially affect our business, cash flow, results of operations, and financial condition. In particular, on December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive Federal tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017”). The U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 introduces significant changes to U.S. income tax law that have a meaningful impact on our provision for income taxes. Accounting for the income tax effects of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 requires significant judgments and estimates in the interpretation and calculations of the provisions of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.