Free cash flow equals cash generated by operating activities less net capital expenditures and other. Normalized free cash flow, a measure of our operating performance, is further adjusted to exclude net capital expenditures related to the new campus development, payments for non-recurring and unusual charges (such as capital gains tax in relation to the divestiture of OpenMarket), and payments of acquisition related liabilities. These non-GAAP financial measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative for, generally accepted accounting principles and may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. In addition, these non-GAAP financial measures are not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles. Amdocs believes that non-GAAP financial measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all of the amounts associated with Amdocs’ results of operations as determined in accordance with GAAP and that these measures should only be used to evaluate Amdocs’ results of operations in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP measures.
Amdocs believes that the presentation of non-GAAP diluted earnings per share and other financial measures, including free cash flow and normalized free cash flow, non-GAAP cost of revenue, non-GAAP research and development, non-GAAP selling, general and administrative, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP interest and other expenses, net, non-GAAP income taxes, non-GAAP effective tax rate, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share growth when shown in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP measures, provides useful information to investors and management regarding financial and business trends relating to its financial condition and results of operations, as well as the net amount of cash generated by its business operations after taking into account capital spending required to maintain or expand the business.
For its internal budgeting process and in monitoring the results of the business, Amdocs’ management uses financial statements that do not include amortization of purchased intangible assets and other acquisition-related costs, changes in certain acquisition-related liabilities measured at fair value, non-recurring and unusual charges or benefits, equity-based compensation expense, other and related tax effects. Amdocs’ management also