Exhibit
10.1
[COSTAR
LOGO]
COSTAR
GROUP, INC.
2007
STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
1. Purpose
The
purpose of the CoStar Group, Inc. 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) is to
advance the interests of CoStar Group, Inc. (the “Company”) by enabling the
Company and its subsidiaries to attract, retain and motivate employees of the
Company by providing for or increasing the proprietary interests of such
individuals in the Company, and by enabling the Company to attract, retain
and
motivate its nonemployee directors and further align their interests with those
of the shareholders of the Company by providing for or increasing the
proprietary interests of such directors in the Company. The Plan provides for
the grant of Incentive and Nonqualified Stock Options, Stock Appreciation
Rights, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units, any of which may be
performance-based, as determined by the Committee.
2. Definitions
As
used
in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth
below:
(a) “Award”
means an Incentive Stock Option, Nonqualified Stock Option, Stock Appreciation
Right, Restricted Stock, or Restricted Stock Unit granted to a Participant
pursuant to the provisions of the Plan, any of which the Committee may structure
to qualify in whole or in part as a Performance Award.
(b) “Award
Agreement” means a written agreement or other instrument as may be approved from
time to time by the Committee implementing the grant of each Award. An Agreement
may be in the form of an agreement to be executed by both the Participant and
the Company (or an authorized representative of the Company) or certificates,
notices or similar instruments as approved by the Committee.
(c) “Board”
means the board of directors of the Company.
(d) “Code”
means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, and
the
rulings and regulations issues thereunder.
(e) “Committee”
means the Committee delegated the authority to administer the Plan in accordance
with Section 16.
(f) “Common
Share” means a share of the Company’s common stock, subject to adjustment as
provided in Section 11.
(g) “Company”
means CoStar Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
(h) “Fair
Market Value” means,
as
of any given date, the closing sales price on such date during normal trading
hours (or, if there are no reported sales on such date, on the last date prior
to such date on which there were sales) of the Common Shares on NASDAQ, the
New
York Stock Exchange Composite Tape or, if not listed on such exchanges, on
any
other national securities exchange on which the Common Shares are listed, in
any
case, as reporting in such source as the Committee shall select. If there is
no
regular public trading market for such Common Shares, the Fair Market Value
of
the Common Shares shall be determined by the Committee in good faith and in
compliance with Section 409A of the Code.
(i) “Incentive
Stock Option” means a stock option that is intended to qualify as an “incentive
stock option” within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.
(j) “Nonemployee
Director” means each person who is, or is elected to be, a member of the Board
or the board of directors of any Subsidiary and who is not an employee of the
Company or any Subsidiary.
(k) “Nonqualified
Stock Option” means a stock option that is not intended to qualify as an
“incentive stock option” within the meaning of Section 422 of the
Code.
(l) “Option”
means an Incentive Stock Option and/or a Nonqualified Stock Option granted
pursuant to Section 6 of the Plan.
(m) “Participant”
means any individual described in Section 3 to whom Awards have been
granted from time to time by the Committee and any authorized transferee of
such
individual.
(n) “Performance
Award” means an Award, the grant, issuance, retention, vesting or settlement of
which is subject to satisfaction of one or more performance criteria pursuant
to
Section 12.
(o) “Plan”
means the CoStar Group, Inc. 2007 Stock Incentive Plan as set forth herein
and
as
amended from time to time.
(p) “Prior
Plan” means the CoStar Group, Inc. 1998 Stock Incentive Plan.
(q) “Qualifying
Performance Criteria” has the meaning set forth in
Section 12(b).
(r) “Restricted
Stock” means Common Shares granted pursuant to Section 8 of the
Plan.
(s) “Restricted
Stock Unit” means an Award granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 8
pursuant to which Common Shares or cash in lieu thereof may be issued in the
future.
(t) “Stock
Appreciation Right” means a right granted pursuant to Section 7 of the Plan
that entitles the Participant to receive, in cash or Common Shares or a
combination thereof, as determined by the Committee, value equal to or otherwise
based on the excess of (i) the market price of a specified number of Common
Shares at the time of exercise over (ii) the exercise price of the right, as
established by the Committee on the date of grant.
(u) “Subsidiary”
means any corporation (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain of
corporations beginning with the Company where each of the corporations in the
unbroken chain other than the last corporation owns stock possessing at least
50
percent or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock
in
one of the other corporations in the chain, and if specifically determined
by
the Committee in the context other than with respect to Incentive Stock Options,
may include an entity in which the Company has a significant ownership interest
or that is directly or indirectly controlled by the Company.
(v) “Substitute
Awards” means Awards granted or Common Shares issued by the Company in
assumption of, or in substitution or exchange for, awards previously granted,
or
the right or obligation to make future awards, by a corporation acquired by
the
Company or any Subsidiary or with which the Company or any Subsidiary
combines.
3. Eligibility
Any
person who is an officer or employee of the Company or of any Subsidiary
(including any director who is also an employee, in his or her capacity as
such)
shall be eligible for selection by the Committee for the grant of Awards
hereunder. In addition, Nonemployee Directors shall be eligible for the grant
of
Awards hereunder as determined by the Committee. In addition any service
provider who has been retained to provide consulting, advisory or other services
to the Company or to any Subsidiary shall be eligible for selection by the
Committee for the grant of Awards hereunder. Options intending to qualify as
Incentive Stock Options may only be granted to employees of the Company or
any
Subsidiary within the meaning of the Code, as selected by the
Committee.
4. Effective
Date and Termination of Plan
This
Plan
was adopted by the Board and became effective as of April 26, 2007 (the
“Effective Date”), subject to the approval by the Company’s
stockholders.
All
Awards granted under this Plan are subject to, and may not be exercised before,
the approval of this Plan by the stockholders prior to the first anniversary
date of the effective date of the Plan by the affirmative vote of the holders
of
a majority of the outstanding Common Shares of the Company present, or
represented by proxy, and entitled to vote, at a meeting of the Company’s
stockholders or by written consent in accordance with the laws of the State
of
Delaware; provided that if such approval by the stockholders of the Company
is
not forthcoming, all Awards previously granted under this Plan shall be void.
The Plan shall remain available for the grant of Awards until the tenth (10th)
anniversary of the Effective Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Plan
may
be terminated at such earlier time as the Board may determine. Termination
of
the Plan will not affect the rights and obligations of the Participants and
the
Company arising under Awards theretofore granted and then in
effect.
5. Common
Shares Subject to the Plan and to Awards
(a) Aggregate
Limits.
The
aggregate number of Shares issuable pursuant to all Awards shall not exceed
1,000,000 shares, plus (i) any Shares that were authorized for issuance
under the Prior Plan that, as of June 7, 2007, remain available for issuance
under the Prior Plan (not including any Shares that are subject to, as of June
7, 2007, outstanding awards under the
Prior
Plan or any Shares that prior to June 7, 2007 were issued pursuant to awards
granted under the Prior Plan) and (ii) any Shares subject to outstanding
awards under the Prior Plan as of June 7, 2007 that on or after such date
cease
for any reason to be subject to such awards (other than by reason of exercise
or
settlement of the awards to the extent they are exercised for or settled
in
vested and nonforfeitable shares). The
aggregate number of Common Shares available for grant under this Plan and
the
number of Common Shares subject to outstanding Awards shall be subject to
adjustment as provided in Section 11. The Common Shares issued pursuant to
Awards granted under this Plan may be shares that are authorized and unissued
or
shares that were reacquired by the Company, including shares purchased in
the
open market.
(b) Issuance
of Common Shares.
For
purposes of this Section 5, the aggregate number of Common Shares available
for Awards under this Plan at any time shall not be reduced by (i) shares
subject to Awards that have been terminated, expired unexercised, forfeited
or
settled in cash, (ii) shares subject to Awards that have been retained by
the Company in payment or satisfaction of the exercise price, purchase price
or
tax withholding obligation of an Award, or (iii) shares subject to Awards
that otherwise do not result in the issuance of Common Shares in connection
with
payment or settlement of an Award. In addition, Common Shares that have been
delivered (either actually or by attestation) to the Company in payment or
satisfaction of the exercise price, purchase price or tax withholding obligation
of an Award shall be available for Awards under this Plan.
(c) Tax
Code Limits.
The
aggregate number of Common Shares subject to Awards granted under this Plan
during any calendar year to any one Participant shall not exceed 200,000, which
number shall be calculated and adjusted pursuant to Section 11 only to the
extent that such calculation or adjustment will not affect the status of any
Award intended to qualify as “performance based compensation” under
Section 162(m) of the Code but which number shall not count any tandem SARs
(as defined in Section 7). Any Common Shares that may be
issued under this Plan may be issued pursuant to the exercise of Incentive
Stock Options.
(d) Substitute
Awards. Substitute
Awards shall not reduce the Common Shares authorized for issuance under the
Plan
or authorized for grant to a Participant in any calendar year. Additionally,
in
the event that a corporation acquired by the Company or any Subsidiary, or
with
which the Company or any Subsidiary combines, has shares available under a
pre-existing plan approved by shareholders and not adopted in contemplation
of
such acquisition or combination, the shares available for grant pursuant to
the
terms of such pre-existing plan (as adjusted, to the extent appropriate, using
the exchange ratio or other adjustment or valuation ratio or formula used in
such acquisition or combination to determine the consideration payable to the
holders of common stock of the entities party to such acquisition or
combination) may be used for Awards under the Plan and shall not reduce the
Common Shares authorized for issuance under the Plan; provided that Awards
using
such available shares shall not be made after the date awards or grants could
have been made under the terms of the pre-existing plan, absent the acquisition
or combination, and shall only be made to individuals who were not employees,
directors or consultants of the Company or its Subsidiaries immediately before
such acquisition or combination.
6. Options
(a) Option
Awards.
Options
may be granted at any time and from time to time prior to the termination of
the
Plan to Participants as determined by the Committee. No Participant shall have
any rights as a stockholder with respect to any Common Shares subject to Option
hereunder until said Common Shares have been issued, except that the Committee
may authorize dividend equivalent accruals with respect to such Common Shares.
Each Option shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement. Options granted pursuant
to the Plan need not be identical but each Option must contain and be subject
to
the terms and conditions set forth below.
(b) Price.
The
Committee will establish the exercise price per Common Share under each Option,
which, in no event will be less than the Fair Market Value of the Common Shares
on the date of grant; provided, however, that the exercise price per Common
Share with respect to an Option that is granted in connection with a merger
or
other acquisition as a substitute or replacement award for options held by
optionees of the acquired entity may be less than 100% of the market price
of
the Common Shares on the date such Option is granted if such exercise price
is
based on a formula set forth in the terms of the options held by such optionees
or in the terms of the agreement providing for such merger or other acquisition.
The exercise price of any Option may be paid in Common Shares, cash, certified
check, money order or a combination thereof, as determined by the Committee,
including an irrevocable commitment by a broker to pay over such amount from
a
sale of the Common Shares issuable under an Option, the delivery of previously
owned Common Shares and withholding of Common Shares deliverable upon
exercise.
(c) No
Repricing.
Other
than in connection with a change in the Company’s capitalization (as described
in Section 11) the exercise price of an Option may not be reduced without
stockholder approval (including canceling previously awarded Options and
regranting them with a lower exercise price).
(d) Provisions
Applicable to Options.
The
date on which Options become exercisable shall be determined at the sole
discretion of the Committee and set forth in an Award Agreement. Unless provided
otherwise in the applicable Award Agreement, to the extent that the Committee
determines that an approved leave of absence or employment on a less than
full-time basis is not a Termination of employment, the vesting period and/or
exercisability of an Option shall be adjusted by the Committee during or to
reflect the effects of any period during which the Participant is on an approved
leave of absence or is employed on a less than full-time basis.
(e) Term
of Options and Termination of Employment:
The
Committee shall establish the term of each Option, which in no case shall exceed
a period of ten (10) years from the date of grant. Unless an Option earlier
expires upon the expiration date established pursuant to the foregoing sentence,
upon the termination of the Participant’s employment, his or her rights to
exercise an Option then held shall be determined by the Committee and set forth
in an Award Agreement.
(f) Incentive
Stock Options.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 6, in the case of
the grant of an Option intending to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option:
(i) if the Participant owns stock possessing more than 10 percent of the
combined voting power
of
all
classes of stock of the Company (a “10% Common Shareholder”), the exercise price
of such Option must be at least 110 percent of the Fair Market Value of the
Common Shares on the date of grant and the Option must expire within a period
of
not more than five (5) years from the date of grant, and (ii) termination
of employment will occur when the person to whom an Award was granted ceases
to
be an employee (as determined in accordance with Section 3401(c) of the
Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder) of the Company and its
Subsidiaries. Notwithstanding anything in this Section 6 to the contrary,
options designated as Incentive Stock Options shall not be eligible for
treatment under the Code as Incentive Stock Options (and will be deemed to
be
Nonqualified Stock Options) to the extent that either (a) the aggregate Fair
Market Value of Common Shares (determined as of the time of grant) with respect
to which such Options are exercisable for the first time by the Participant
during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and any Subsidiary)
exceeds $100,000, taking Options into account in the order in which they
were
granted, or (b) such Options otherwise remain exercisable but are not exercised
within three (3) months of Termination of employment (or such other period
of
time provided in Section 422 of the Code).
7. Stock
Appreciation Rights
Stock
Appreciation Rights may be granted to Participants from time to time either
in
tandem with or as a component of other Awards granted under the Plan (“tandem
SARs”) or not in conjunction with other Awards (“freestanding SARs”) and may,
but need not, relate to a specific Option granted under Section 6. The
provisions of Stock Appreciation Rights need not be the same with respect to
each grant or each recipient. Any Stock Appreciation Right granted in tandem
with an Award may be granted at the same time such Award is granted or at any
time thereafter before exercise or expiration of such Award. All freestanding
SARs shall be granted subject to the same terms and conditions applicable to
Options as set forth in Section 6 and all tandem SARs shall have the same
exercise price, vesting, exercisability, forfeiture and termination provisions
as the Award to which they relate. Subject to the provisions of Section 6
and the immediately preceding sentence, the Committee may impose such other
conditions or restrictions on any Stock Appreciation Right as it shall deem
appropriate. Stock Appreciation Rights may be settled in Common Shares, cash
or
a combination thereof, as determined by the Committee and set forth in the
applicable Award Agreement. Other than in connection with a change in the
Company’s capitalization (as described in Section 11) the exercise price of
Stock Appreciation Rights may not be reduced without stockholder approval
(including canceling previously awarded Stock Appreciation Rights and regranting
them with a lower exercise price).
8. Restricted
Stock and Restricted Stock Units
(a) Restricted
Stock and Restricted Stock Unit Awards.
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units may be granted at any time and
from
time to time prior to the termination of the Plan to Participants as determined
by the Committee. Restricted Stock is an award or issuance of Common Shares
the
grant, issuance, retention, vesting and/or transferability of which is subject
during specified periods of time to such conditions (including continued
employment or performance conditions) and terms as the Committee deems
appropriate. Restricted Stock Units are Awards denominated in units of Common
Shares under which the issuance of Common Shares is subject to such conditions
(including continued employment or performance conditions) and terms as the
Committee deems appropriate. Each grant of Restricted Stock and
Restricted
Stock Units shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement. Unless determined
otherwise by the Committee, each Restricted Stock Unit will be equal to one
Common Share and will entitle a Participant to either the issuance of Common
Shares or payment of an amount of cash determined with reference to the value
of
Common Shares. To the extent determined by the Committee, Restricted Stock
and
Restricted Stock Units may be satisfied or settled in Common Shares, cash
or a
combination thereof. Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units granted
pursuant to the Plan need not be identical but each grant of Restricted Stock
and Restricted Stock Units must contain and be subject to the terms and
conditions set forth below.
(b) Contents
of Agreement.
Each
Award Agreement shall contain provisions regarding (i) the number of Common
Shares or Restricted Stock Units subject to such Award or a formula for
determining such number, (ii) the purchase price of the Common Shares, if any,
and the means of payment, (iii) the performance criteria, if any, and level
of
achievement versus these criteria that shall determine the number of Common
Shares or Restricted Stock Units granted, issued, retainable and/or vested,
(iv)
such terms and conditions on the grant, issuance, vesting and/or forfeiture
of
the Common Shares or Restricted Stock Units as may be determined from time
to
time by the Committee, (v) the term of the performance period, if any, as
to which performance will be measured for determining the number of such Common
Shares or Restricted Stock Units, and (vi) restrictions on the transferability
of the Common Shares or Restricted Stock Units. Common Shares issued under
a
Restricted Stock Award may be issued in the name of the Participant and held
by
the Participant or held by the Company, in each case as the Committee may
provide.
(c) Vesting
and Performance Criteria.
The
grant, issuance, retention, vesting and/or settlement of shares of Restricted
Stock and Restricted Stock Units will occur when and in such installments as
the
Committee determines or under criteria the Committee establishes, which may
include Qualifying Performance Criteria; provided, however, that, except in
the
case of a change of control of the Company or the death or disability of the
Participant, vesting of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units shall be
no
earlier than three (3) years from the date of grant for Awards not subject
to
vesting based on performance criteria and one (1) year from the date of grant
for Awards that vest based on the achievement of performance criteria.
Notwithstanding anything in this Plan to the contrary, the performance criteria
for any Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Unit that is intended to satisfy
the requirements for “performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m)
of the Code will be a measure based on one or more Qualifying Performance
Criteria selected by the Committee and specified when the Award is
granted.
(d) Discretionary
Adjustments and Limits.
Subject
to the limits imposed under Section 162(m) of the Code for Awards that are
intended to qualify as “performance based compensation,” notwithstanding the
satisfaction of any performance goals, the number of Common Shares granted,
issued, retainable and/or vested under an Award of Restricted Stock or
Restricted Stock Units on account of either financial performance or personal
performance evaluations may, to the extent specified in the Award Agreement,
be
reduced by the Committee on the basis of such further considerations as the
Committee shall determine.
(e) Voting
Rights.
Unless
otherwise determined by the Committee, Participants holding shares of Restricted
Stock granted hereunder may exercise full voting rights with
respect
to
those
shares during the period of restriction. Participants shall have no voting
rights with respect to Common Shares underlying Restricted Stock Units unless
and until such Common Shares are reflected as issued and outstanding shares
on
the Company’s stock ledger.
(f) Dividends
and Distributions.
Participants in whose name Restricted Stock is granted shall be entitled to
receive all dividends and other distributions paid with respect to those Common
Shares, unless determined otherwise by the Committee. The Committee will
determine whether any such dividends or distributions will be automatically
reinvested in additional shares of Restricted Stock and subject to the same
restrictions on transferability as the Restricted Stock with respect to which
they were distributed or whether such dividends or distributions will be paid
in
cash. Common Shares underlying Restricted Stock Units shall be entitled to
dividends or dividend equivalents only to the extent provided by the
Committee.
9. Deferral
of Gains
The
Committee may, in an Award Agreement or otherwise, provide for the deferred
delivery of Common Shares upon settlement, vesting or other events with respect
to Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units. Notwithstanding anything herein
to the contrary, in no event will any deferral of the delivery of Common Shares
or any other payment with respect to any Award be allowed if the Committee
determines, in its sole discretion, that the deferral would result in the
imposition of the additional tax under Section 409A(a)(1)(B) of the
Code.
10. Conditions
and Restrictions Upon Securities Subject to Awards
The
Committee may provide that the Common Shares issued upon exercise of an Option
or Stock Appreciation Right or otherwise subject to or issued under an Award
shall be subject to such further agreements, restrictions, conditions or
limitations as the Committee in its discretion may specify prior to the exercise
of such Option or Stock Appreciation Right or the grant, vesting or settlement
of such Award, including without limitation, conditions on vesting or
transferability, forfeiture or repurchase provisions and method of payment
for
the Common Shares issued upon exercise, vesting or settlement of such Award
(including the actual or constructive surrender of Common Shares already owned
by the Participant) or payment of taxes arising in connection with an Award.
Without limiting the foregoing, such restrictions may address the timing and
manner of any resales by the Participant or other subsequent transfers by the
Participant of any Common Shares issued under an Award, including without
limitation (i) restrictions under an insider trading policy or pursuant to
applicable law, (ii) restrictions designed to delay and/or coordinate the timing
and manner of sales by Participant and holders of other Company equity
compensation arrangements, (iii) restrictions as to the use of a specified
brokerage firm for such resales or other transfers, and (iv) provisions
requiring Common Shares to be sold on the open market or to the Company in
order
to satisfy tax withholding or other obligations.
11. Adjustment
of and Changes in the Stock
The
number and kind of Common Shares available for issuance under this Plan
(including under any Awards then outstanding), and the number and kind of Common
Shares subject to the limits set forth in Section 5 of this Plan, shall be
equitably adjusted by the
Committee
to reflect any reorganization, reclassification, combination of shares, stock
split, reverse stock split, spin-off, dividend or distribution of securities,
property or cash (other than regular, quarterly cash dividends), or any other
equity restructuring transaction, as that term is defined in Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised). Such adjustment may be
designed to comply with Section 425 of the Code or, except as otherwise
expressly provided in Section 5(c) of this Plan, may be designed to treat
the Common Shares available under the Plan and subject to Awards as if they
were
all outstanding on the record date for such event or transaction or to increase
the number of such Common Shares to reflect a deemed reinvestment in Common
Shares of the amount distributed to the Company’s securityholders. The terms of
any outstanding Award shall also be equitably adjusted by the Committee as
to
price, number or kind of Common Shares subject to such Award, vesting, and
other
terms to reflect the foregoing events, which adjustments need not be uniform
as
between different Awards or different types of Awards.
In
the
event there shall be any other change in the number or kind of outstanding
Common Shares, or any stock or other securities into which such Common Shares
shall have been changed, or for which it shall have been exchanged, by reason
of
a change of control, other merger, consolidation or otherwise in circumstances
that do not involve an equity restructuring transaction, as that term is defined
in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised), then the
Committee shall determine the appropriate adjustment, if any, to be effected.
In
addition, in the event of such change described in this paragraph, the Committee
may accelerate the time or times at which any Award may be exercised and may
provide for cancellation of such accelerated Awards that are not exercised
within a time prescribed by the Committee in its sole discretion.
No
right
to purchase fractional shares shall result from any adjustment in Awards
pursuant to this Section 11. In case of any such adjustment, the Common
Shares subject to the Award shall be rounded down to the nearest whole share.
The Company shall notify Participants holding Awards subject to any adjustments
pursuant to this Section 11 of such adjustment, but (whether or not notice
is given) such adjustment shall be effective and binding for all purposes of
the
Plan.
12. Qualifying
Performance-Based Compensation
(a) General.
The
Committee may establish performance criteria and level of achievement versus
such criteria that shall determine the number of Common Shares, units, or cash
to be granted, retained, vested, issued or issuable under or in settlement
of or
the amount payable pursuant to an Award, which criteria may be based on
Qualifying Performance Criteria or other standards of financial performance
and/or personal performance evaluations. In addition, the Committee may specify
that an Award or a portion of an Award is intended to satisfy the requirements
for “performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code,
provided that the performance criteria for such Award or portion of an Award
that is intended by the Committee to satisfy the requirements for
“performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code shall be
a measure based on one or more Qualifying Performance Criteria selected by
the
Committee and specified at the time the Award is granted. The Committee shall
certify the extent to which any Qualifying Performance Criteria has been
satisfied, and the amount payable as a result thereof, prior to payment,
settlement or vesting of
any
Award
that is intended to satisfy the requirements for “performance-based
compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code. Notwithstanding
satisfaction of any performance goals, the number of Common Shares issued
under
or the amount paid under an award may, to the extent specified in the Award
Agreement, be reduced by the Committee on the basis of such further
considerations as the Committee in its sole discretion shall
determine.
(b) Qualifying
Performance Criteria.
For
purposes of this Plan, the term “Qualifying Performance Criteria” shall mean any
one or more of the following performance criteria, either individually,
alternatively or in any combination, applied to either the Company as a whole
or
to a business unit or Subsidiary, either individually, alternatively or in
any
combination, and measured either annually or cumulatively over a period of
years, on an absolute basis or relative to a pre-established target, to previous
years’ results or to a designated comparison group, in each case as specified by
the Committee: (i) cash flow (before or after dividends), (ii) earnings or
earnings per share (including earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation
and
amortization), (iii) stock price, (iv) return on equity, (v) total
stockholder return, (vi) return on capital or investment (including return
on
total capital, return on invested capital, or return on investment), (vii)
return on assets or net assets, (viii) market capitalization, (ix) economic
value added, (x) debt leverage (debt to capital), (xi) revenue, (xii)
income or net income, (xiii) operating income, (xiv) operating profit or net
operating profit, (xv) operating margin or profit margin, (xvi) return on
operating revenue, (xvii) cash from operations, (xviii) operating ratio, (xix)
operating revenue, or (xx) customer service. To the extent consistent with
Section 162(m) of the Code, the Committee (A) shall appropriately
adjust any evaluation of performance under a Qualifying Performance Criteria
to
eliminate the effects of charges for restructurings, discontinued operations,
extraordinary items and all items of gain, loss or expense determined to be
extraordinary or unusual in nature or related to the acquisition or disposal
of
a segment of a business or related to a change in accounting principle all
as
determined in accordance with standards established by opinion No. 30 of
the Accounting Principles Board (APA Opinion No. 30) or other applicable or
successor accounting provisions, as well as the cumulative effect of accounting
changes, in each case as determined in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles or identified in the Company’s financial statements or
notes to the financial statements, and (B) may appropriately adjust any
evaluation of performance under a Qualifying Performance Criteria to exclude
any
of the following events that occurs during a performance period: (i) asset
write-downs, (ii) litigation, claims, judgments or settlements, (iii) the
effect of changes in tax law or other such laws or provisions affecting reported
results, (iv) accruals for reorganization and restructuring programs and
(v) accruals of any amounts for payment under this Plan or any other
compensation arrangement maintained by the Company.
13. Transferability
Unless
the Committee provides otherwise, each Award may not be sold, transferred,
pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated by a Participant
other
than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and each Option or Stock
Appreciation Right shall be exercisable only by the Participant during his
or
her lifetime.
14. Compliance
with Laws and Regulations
This
Plan, the grant, issuance, vesting, exercise and settlement of Awards
thereunder, and the obligation of the Company to sell, issue or deliver Common
Shares under such Awards, shall be subject to all applicable foreign, federal,
state and local laws, rules and regulations, stock exchange rules and
regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental or regulatory agency
as
may be required. The Company shall not be required to register in a
Participant’s name or deliver any Common Shares prior to the completion of any
registration or qualification of such shares under any foreign, federal, state
or local law or any ruling or regulation of any government body which the
Committee shall determine to be necessary or advisable. To the extent the
Company is unable to or the Committee deems it infeasible to obtain authority
from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by
the
Company’s counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Common
Shares hereunder, the Company and its Subsidiaries shall be relieved of any
liability with respect to the failure to issue or sell such Common Shares as
to
which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained. No Option shall
be
exercisable and no Common Shares shall be issued and/or transferable under
any
other Award unless a registration statement with respect to the Common Shares
underlying such Option is effective and current or the Company has determined
that such registration is unnecessary.
15. Withholding
To
the
extent required by applicable federal, state, local or foreign law, a
Participant shall be required to satisfy, in a manner satisfactory to the
Company, any withholding tax obligations that arise by reason of an Option
exercise, disposition of Common Shares issued under an Incentive Stock Option,
the vesting of or settlement of an Award, an election pursuant to
Section 83(b) of the Code or otherwise with respect to an Award. The
Company and its Subsidiaries shall not be required to issue Common Shares,
make
any payment or to recognize the transfer or disposition of Common Shares until
such obligations are satisfied. The Committee may provide for or permit the
minimum statutory withholding obligations to be satisfied through the mandatory
or elective sale of Common Shares and/or by having the Company withhold a
portion of the Common Shares that otherwise would be issued to him or her upon
exercise of the Option or the vesting or settlement of an Award, or by tendering
Common Shares previously acquired.
16. Administration
of the Plan
(a) Committee
of the Plan.
The
Plan shall be administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board or the
Board itself. Any power of the Committee may also be exercised by the Board,
except to the extent that the grant or exercise of such authority would cause
any Award or transaction to become subject to (or lose an exemption under)
the
short-swing profit recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 or cause an Award designated as a Performance Award not
to
qualify for treatment as performance-based compensation under
Section 162(m) of the Code. To the extent that any permitted action taken
by the Board conflicts with action taken by the Committee, the Board action
shall control. The Compensation Committee may by resolution authorize one or
more officers of the Company to perform any or all things that the Committee
is
authorized and empowered to do or perform
under
the
Plan, and for all purposes under this Plan, such officer or officers shall
be
treated as the Committee; provided, however, that the resolution so authorizing
such officer or officers shall specify the total number of Awards (if any)
such
officer or officers may award pursuant to such delegated authority, and any
such
Award shall be subject to the form of Award Agreement theretofore approved
by
the Compensation Committee. No such officer shall designate himself or herself
as a recipient of any Awards granted under authority delegated to such officer.
In addition, the Compensation Committee may delegate any or all aspects of
the
day-to-day administration of the Plan to one or more officers or employees
of
the Company or any Subsidiary, and/or to one or more agents.
(b) Powers
of Committee.
Subject
to the express provisions of this Plan, the Committee shall be authorized and
empowered to do all things that it determines to be necessary or appropriate
in
connection with the administration of this Plan, including, without limitation:
(i) to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to this
Plan
and to define terms not otherwise defined herein; (ii) to determine which
persons are Participants, to which of such Participants, if any, Awards shall
be
granted hereunder and the timing of any such Awards; (iii) to grant Awards
to Participants and determine the terms and conditions thereof, including the
number of Common Shares subject to Awards and the exercise or purchase price
of
such Common Shares and the circumstances under which Awards become exercisable
or vested or are forfeited or expire, which terms may but need not be
conditioned upon the passage of time, continued employment, the satisfaction
of
performance criteria, the occurrence of certain events (including events which
constitute a change of control), or other factors; (iv) to establish and verify
the extent of satisfaction of any performance goals or other conditions
applicable to the grant, issuance, exercisability, vesting and/or ability to
retain any Award; (v) to prescribe and amend the terms of the agreements or
other documents evidencing Awards made under this Plan (which need not be
identical) and the terms of or form of any document or notice required to be
delivered to the Company by Participants under this Plan; (vi) to determine
the
extent to which adjustments are required pursuant to Section 11; (vii) to
interpret and construe this Plan, any rules and regulations under this Plan
and
the terms and conditions of any Award granted hereunder, and to make exceptions
to any such provisions in good faith and for the benefit of the Company; and
(viii) to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the
administration of this Plan.
(c) Determinations
by the Committee.
All
decisions, determinations and interpretations by the Committee regarding the
Plan, any rules and regulations under the Plan and the terms and conditions
of
or operation of any Award granted hereunder, shall be final and binding on
all
Participants, beneficiaries, heirs, assigns or other persons holding or claiming
rights under the Plan or any Award. The Committee shall consider such factors
as
it deems relevant, in its sole and absolute discretion, to making such
decisions, determinations and interpretations including, without limitation,
the
recommendations or advice of any officer or other employee of the Company and
such attorneys, consultants and accountants as it may select.
17. Amendment
of the Plan or Awards
The
Board
may amend, alter or discontinue this Plan and the Committee may amend, or alter
any agreement or other document evidencing an Award made under this Plan but,
except as specifically provided for hereunder, no such amendment shall, without
the approval of the
stockholders
of the Company (a) reduce the exercise price of outstanding Options or
Stock Appreciation Rights, (b) reduce the price at which Options may be
granted below the price provided for in Section 6 or (c) otherwise
amend the Plan in any manner requiring stockholder approval by law or under
the
NASDAQ’s listing requirements. No amendment or alteration to the Plan or an
Award or Award Agreement shall be made which would impair the rights of the
holder of an Award, without such holder’s consent, provided that no such consent
shall be required if the Committee determines in its sole discretion and
prior
to the date of any change of control that such amendment or alteration either
is
required or advisable in order for the Company, the Plan or the Award to
satisfy
any law or regulation or to meet the requirements of or avoid adverse financial
accounting consequences under any accounting standard.
18. Miscellaneous
(a) No
Liability of Company.
The
Company and any Subsidiary or affiliate which is in existence or hereafter
comes
into existence shall not be liable to a Participant or any other person as
to:
(i) the non-issuance or sale of Common Shares as to which the Company has been
unable to obtain from any regulatory body having jurisdiction the authority
deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale
of any Common Shares hereunder; and (ii) any tax consequence expected, but
not
realized, by any Participant or other person due to the receipt, exercise or
settlement of any Award granted hereunder.
(b) Non-Exclusivity
of Plan.
Neither
the adoption of this Plan by the Board nor the submission of this Plan to the
stockholders of the Company for approval shall be construed as creating any
limitations on the power of the Board or the Committee to adopt such other
incentive arrangements as either may deem desirable, including without
limitation, the granting of restricted stock or stock options otherwise than
under this Plan or an arrangement not intended to qualify under Code
Section 162(m), and such arrangements may be either generally applicable or
applicable only in specific cases.
(c) Governing
Law.
This
Plan and any agreements or other documents hereunder shall be interpreted and
construed in accordance with the laws of the Delaware and applicable federal
law.
(d) No
Right to Employment, Reelection or Continued Service.
Nothing
in this Plan or an Award Agreement shall interfere with or limit in any way
the
right of the Company, its Subsidiaries and/or its affiliates to terminate any
Participant’s employment, service on the Board or service for the Company at any
time or for any reason not prohibited by law, nor shall this Plan or an Award
itself confer upon any Participant any right to continue his or her employment
or service for any specified period of time. Neither an Award nor any benefits
arising under this Plan shall constitute an employment contract with the
Company, any Subsidiary and/or its affiliates.
(e) Unfunded
Plan.
The
Plan is intended to be an unfunded plan. Participants are and shall at all
times
be general creditors of the Company with respect to their Awards. If the
Committee or the Company chooses to set aside funds in a trust or otherwise
for
the payment of Awards under the Plan, such funds shall at all times be subject
to the claims of the creditors of the Company in the event of its bankruptcy
or
insolvency.