Administration
Subject to the provisions of the Equity Plan, the Committee shall administer the Equity Plan. The Board may, however, revest in itself the administration of the Equity Plan.
The Committee shall have full power and authority, in its sole discretion, to administer, implement and carry out the Equity Plan, including, without limitation, (i) selecting grantees from the individuals eligible to receive awards under the Equity Plan, the time when awards will be granted, the number of awards and the number of Shares covered by each award; (ii) determining the terms and conditions of each award grant; (iii) approving the forms of agreement for use under the Equity Plan; (iv) establishing, adopting, or revising any rules and regulations to administer the Equity Plan; and (v) taking any and all other action as it deems necessary or advisable for the operation or administration of the Equity Plan and the awards thereunder.
Eligibility
Employees and directors of the Company or a subsidiary thereof shall be eligible for the grant of awards under the Equity Plan.
Award Limit
Under the terms of the Equity Plan, the maximum number of Shares that may be subject to one or more awards granted to any one person during any calendar year is 300,000.
Types of Awards
The Equity Plan only permits the granting of share options, restricted stock and stock payments by the Committee.
Share options
Each share option granted under the Equity Plan will be evidenced by a written award agreement. In order to accept an option, the optionee must pay the Company or a subsidiary thereof consideration of US $1.00 per option award. Each option agreement shall specify the number of shares that are subject to the option, the exercise price of the option, terms and conditions of vesting and the option term. The exercise price is set by the Committee at the time the option is granted, provided that the exercise price may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the Shares subject to the option on the date the option is granted and the par value of the Shares. For this purpose, fair market value means the average closing trading price of a Share over the three trading days immediately preceding the applicable grant date. The term of an option is set by the Committee in its sole discretion, provided that the term may not be longer than ten years from the date the option is granted. The options may vest based on performance or other criteria and, at any time after the grant of an option, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, accelerate the vesting of such option.
An option may be exercised in whole or in part with respect to whole shares except that the Committee may require in an award agreement that a partial exercise be with respect to a minimum number of shares. Each award agreement shall provide the method for exercising the vested portion of an option.
If the employment or service of a holder is terminated due to disability, redundancy, retirement or any other reason approved by the Committee, such holder (or his applicable representative) shall have the right, during the period ending on the earlier of the six-month anniversary of such holder’s termination or the end of the option term, to exercise the vested portion of such holder’s option. If the employment or service of a holder is terminated due to death, any vested and unexercised portion of any option held by such holder may, in the Committee’s discretion, be exercised by the holder’s applicable representative or transferee during such period as determined by the Committee in its absolute discretion. Except as set forth above, if the employment or service of a holder is terminated for any reason or such holder becomes bankrupt or is deprived of legal or beneficial ownership of an option, such holder’s option shall immediately terminate and all rights thereunder shall cease.