Absence of Change Since the Statement Date, none of the Group Companies has declared or paid any dividend on its shares or registered capital, and since the Statement Date, except as contemplated by the Principal Agreements and disclosed in the Disclosure Schedule: (a) each of the Group Companies has (i) conducted its business in the ordinary course consistent with past practice, (ii) used its best efforts to preserve its business, (iii) collected accounts receivable and paid accounts payable and similar obligations in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, and (iv) not engaged in any new line of business or entered into any agreement, transaction or activity or made any commitment except those in the ordinary course of business; (b) none of the Group Companies has entered into any transaction in an amount in excess of RMB5,000,000 other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; (c) there has been no material adverse change in or affecting the business, financial condition, results, operations or prospects of any of the Group Companies; (d) there has been no damage to, destruction or loss of physical property (whether or not covered by insurance) materially affecting the business, financial condition, results, operations or prospects of any Group Company; (e) there has been no waiver of any material right or claim of any Group Company, or the cancellation of any material debt or claim held by any Group Company; (f) there has been no sale, assignment, exclusive license, Encumbrance upon or transfer of any tangible or intangible assets (including without limitation, Intellectual Property) of any Group Companies other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; (g) there has been no satisfaction or discharge of any Encumbrance or payment of any obligation by any of the Group Companies, except such satisfaction, discharge or payment made in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice that is not material to the assets, properties, financial condition, operating results or business of any Group Company; (h) there has been no waiver, material change, amendment to or termination of a Material Contract or arrangement by which any of the Group Companies (or any of its assets or properties) is bound or subject, except for changes or amendments which are expressly provided for by the Principal Agreements; (i) there has not been any incurrence, commitment to incur, assumption or guarantee by any of the Group Companies of any indebtedness other than in the ordinary course of business (such as working capital loans) and in amounts in excess of RMB5,000,000 and on terms consistent with past practice; (j) there has not been the creation or other incurrence of any material Encumbrance on any asset of any Group Company other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; (k) there has not been any loan or advance to, guarantee for the benefit of, or investment in, any Person (including but not limited to any of the employees, officers or directors, or any members of their immediate families, of any Group Company) by any Group Company except for loans, pledges or guarantees made by a Group Company to another Group Company in the ordinary course of business and in accordance with Applicable law; (l) there has not been any resignation of or termination of the employment relationship of any Key Employee; (m) there has not been any capital expenditures made by any Group Company that aggregate in excess of RMB75,000,000; (n) there has not been any change in the nature or organization of, or any material change in the scope of, the business of any Group Company or disposal of the whole or its undertaking or property or substantial part thereof; (o) there has not been any material acquisition or formation of any Subsidiary, any branch companies, any equity interest in any Person or the whole or any substantial part of the undertaking, assets or business of any other Person or entering into any joint venture or partnership with any other Person, by any Group Company; (p) there has not been any sale, transfer, lease, or pledge of all or substantially all of the assets by any of the Group Companies, or entry into any consolidation, amalgamation, scheme of arrangement or merger of any Group Company with or into any other Person or other corporate reorganization; (q) there has not been any sale, transfer, pledge or otherwise disposition of share capital or registered capital of any Group Company; (r) there has not been any issuances of Common Shares or Preferred Shares and there were options exercisable for 21,060,606 Commons Shares outstanding; and (s) there has not been any agreement or commitment by any Group Company to do any of the things described in this Section 3.9.
Absence of Changes Except as set forth in Schedule 3.10, since August 28, 1999 (except as otherwise expressly noted below), (a) the Business has been operated in the ordinary course consistent with past practices, (b) there has not been any Material Adverse Change with respect to the Business, or any material deterioration of relations between the Companies and their suppliers (including without limitation parties to grower contracts of the Companies), customers or Personnel and (c) to the knowledge of Shareholders, there has been and is no threatened Material Adverse Change with respect to the Companies. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, except as contemplated by Section 5.18 hereof and except as set forth in Schedule 3.10, the Companies have not: (i) sold, assigned, leased or transferred any of the Assets that exceed $100,000 individually or $250,000 in the aggregate in book value or fair market value, other than (A) Inventory sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business, consistent with past practice, to Buyer or persons who are not Affiliates of the Companies for fair consideration and (B) the assets comprising the feedmill operations as contemplated by Section 6.20 hereof; (ii) canceled or terminated, or amended, modified or waived any material term of, any Material Contract, except in the ordinary course of business; (A) increased the compensation payable or to become payable to any of its directors or officers, (B) increased the base compensation payable or to become payable to any of its Personnel who are not directors or officers, except for normal periodic increases in such base compensation (not exceeding, in each case, 5%) in the ordinary course of business, consistent with past practice, (C) increased the sales commission rate payable or to become payable to any of its Personnel who are not directors or officers, (D) granted, made or accrued any loan, bonus, severance, termination or continuation fee, incentive compensation (excluding sales commissions), service award or other like benefit, contingently or otherwise, to or for the benefit of any of its Personnel, except pursuant to the Employee Plans set forth in Schedule 3.22, (E) adopted, amended or caused or suffered any addition to or modification of any Employee Plan, other than (1) contributions made in the ordinary course of business, consistent with past practice or (2) the extension of coverage to any of its Personnel who become eligible after the date of this Agreement, (F) granted any stock options or performance unit grants or other interest under any Employee Plan, (G) entered into any new employment or consulting agreement or caused or suffered any written or oral termination, cancellation or amendment of any such employment or consulting agreement to which it is a party (except with respect to any employee at will without a written agreement), (H) entered into any collective bargaining agreement or caused or suffered any termination or amendment of any collective bargaining agreement to which it is a party or (I) with respect to any Shareholders, or any Affiliate of any Shareholders, granted, made or accrued any payment or distribution or other like benefit, contingently or otherwise, or otherwise transferred Assets, including any payment of principal of or interest on any debt owed to any such Shareholders or Affiliate, other than (1) any payments to such person in the ordinary course of business in his capacity as an employee of the Companies and (2) any transactions between the Companies, in the ordinary course of business and on an arms' length basis; (iv) made any capital expenditure or commitment to make any capital expenditure in excess of $100,000; (v) executed (A) any Lease for real property or (B) any Lease for personal property involving annual payments in excess of $50,000, or, with respect to clauses (A) and (B) of this clause (v), offered to execute any Lease or incurred any liability therefor; (vi) made any payments or given any other consideration to customers or suppliers, other than payments under, and in accordance with the terms of, Contracts in effect at the time of such payment; (vii) changed its accounting methods, principles or practices, including any change in the application or interpretation of GAAP; (viii) suffered any damage, destruction or casualty loss (whether or not covered by insurance) affecting its physical properties that exceeded $100,000 in any one instance or $250,000 in the aggregate; (A) issued or sold, or entered into any agreement obligating it to issue or sell (B) directly or indirectly redeemed, purchased or otherwise acquired, or split, combined, reclassified or otherwise adjusted, any class or series of capital stock, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for capital stock or (C) declared or paid any dividend or other distribution in respect of any class or series of capital stock; (A) incurred any indebtedness for borrowed money or entered into any commitment to borrow money except for drawings under the Companies' revolving line of credit in the ordinary course of business or (B) incurred any obligations for any performance bonds, payment bonds, bid bonds, surety bonds, letters of credit, guarantees or similar instruments; (xi) taken any action in anticipation of the execution of this Agreement or for any other reason to delay or defer expenses (including delay or postponement of capital expenditures or the payment of accounts payable), liabilities or obligations of any kind whatsoever or to accelerate any income, revenue, payment or similar item, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; (xii) paid, discharged or satisfied any liability, other than any such payment, discharge or satisfaction in the ordinary course of business, consistent with past practice of (A) liabilities reflected or reserved against on the balance sheets in the Audited Financial Statements, the Unaudited Financial Statements or in the Interim Financial Statements or incurred subsequent thereto in the ordinary course of business, consistent with past practice, or (B) liabilities under, and in accordance with the terms of, any Material Contracts, Licenses and Permits and other commitments set forth in the Schedules; (xiii) changed or amended any of their articles of incorporation or bylaws or similar organizational documents; (A) acquired (by merger, consolidation, acquisition of stock, other securities or assets or otherwise), (B) made a capital investment (whether through the acquisition of an equity interest, the making of a loan or advance or otherwise) in or (C) guaranteed indebtedness for borrowed money of, (1) any Person or (2) any portion of the assets of any Person that constitutes a division or operating unit of such Person; (xv) mortgaged or pledged, or otherwise made or suffered any Encumbrance (other than any Permitted Encumbrance) on, any of their material Assets or group of their Assets that is material in the aggregate; (xvi) revalued any of their Assets, including any write-off of notes or accounts receivable or any increase in any reserve (other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice), involving in excess of $10,000 individually or $50,000 in the aggregate (such amounts to be calculated without netting any decrease); (xvii) amended, cancelled or suffered termination of any License or Permit that is material to any of the Companies; (xviii) canceled, waived or released any right or claim (or series of related rights or claims) involving in excess of $10,000 individually or $50,000 in the aggregate; or (xix) made any material change in the policies or practices relating to purchasing practices, selling practices, returns, discounts or other terms of purchase or sale or accounting therefor or in policies of employment; or entered into any Contract to do any of the foregoing.
Absence of Control It is the intent of the parties to this Agreement that in no event shall the Purchasers, by reason of any of the Transaction Documents, be deemed to control, directly or indirectly, the Company, and the Purchasers shall not exercise, or be deemed to exercise, directly or indirectly, a controlling influence over the management or policies of the Company.
Absence of Duty Agent shall have no obligation whatsoever to any Lender or any other Person to assure that the Collateral covered by this Agreement or the other Loan Documents exists or is owned by Borrower or is cared for, protected or insured or has been encumbered or that the Liens granted to Agent, on behalf of the Lenders, herein or pursuant hereto have been properly or sufficiently or lawfully created, perfected, protected, enforced or maintained or are entitled to any particular priority, or to exercise at all or in any particular manner or under any duty of care, disclosure, or fidelity, or to continue exercising, any of the rights, authorities and powers granted or available to Agent in this Section 13.1(h) or in any of the Loan Documents; it being understood and agreed that in respect of the Collateral covered by this Agreement or the other Loan Documents, or any act, omission or event related thereto, Agent may act in any manner it may deem appropriate, in its discretion, given Agent’s own interest in Collateral covered by this Agreement or the Loan Documents as one of Lenders and Agent shall have no duty or liability whatsoever to any of the other Lenders; provided, that Agent shall exercise the same care which it would in dealing with loans for its own account.
Absence of Changes in Benefit Plans From the date of the most recent audited financial statements included in the Parent SEC Documents to the date of this Agreement, there has not been any adoption or amendment in any material respect by Parent of any collective bargaining agreement or any bonus, pension, profit sharing, deferred compensation, incentive compensation, stock ownership, stock purchase, stock option, phantom stock, retirement, vacation, severance, disability, death benefit, hospitalization, medical or other plan, arrangement or understanding (whether or not legally binding) providing benefits to any current or former employee, officer or director of Parent (collectively, “Parent Benefit Plans”). As of the date of this Agreement there are not any employment, consulting, indemnification, severance or termination agreements or arrangements between the Parent and any current or former employee, officer or director of the Parent, nor does the Parent have any general severance plan or policy.
No Undisclosed Liabilities; Absence of Changes Except to ---------------------------------------------- the extent publicly disclosed in the Company's SEC Reports or in the Company Disclosure Schedule, as of September 30, 1998, none of the Company or any of its subsidiaries had any liabilities or obligations of any nature, whether or not accrued, contingent or otherwise, that would be required by GAAP to be reflected on a consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its subsidiaries (including the notes thereto) or which would have a Material Adverse Effect and since such date, the Company has incurred no such liability or obligation. Since December 31, 1997, except as disclosed in the Company SEC Reports, (a) the Company and its subsidiaries have conducted their respective businesses only in the ordinary course and in a manner consistent with past practice and (b) there has not been (i) any change, event, occurrence or circumstance in the business, operations, properties, financial condition or results of operations of the Company or any of its subsidiaries which, individually or in the aggregate, has a Material Adverse Effect (except for changes, events, occurrences or circumstances (A) with respect to general economic or lodging industry conditions or (B) arising as a result of the transactions contemplated hereby), (ii) any material change by the Company in its accounting methods, principles or practices, (iii) any authorization, declaration, setting aside or payment of any dividend or distribution or capital return in respect of any stock of, or other equity interest in, the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (iv) any material revaluation for financial statement purposes by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any asset (including, without limitation, any writing down of the value of any property, investment or asset or writing off of notes or accounts receivable), (v) other than payment of compensation for services rendered to the Company or any of its subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice or the grant of Company Stock Options as described in (and in amounts consistent with) Section 3.2, any material transactions between the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and any (A) officer or director of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (B) record or beneficial owner of five percent (5%) or more of the voting securities of the Company, or (C) affiliate of any such officer, director or beneficial owner, on the other hand, or (vi) other than pursuant to the terms of the plans, programs or arrangements specifically referred to in Section 3.11 or in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, any increase in or establishment of any bonus, insurance, welfare, severance, deferred compensation, pension, retirement, profit sharing, stock option (including, without limitation, the granting of stock options, stock appreciation rights, performance awards or restricted stock awards), stock purchase or other employee benefit plan, or any other increase in the compensation payable or to become payable to any employees, officers, directors or consultants of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, which increase or establishment, individually or in the aggregate, will result in a material liability.
Absence of Conflict The Executive represents and warrants that his employment by the Company as described herein shall not conflict with and will not be constrained by any prior employment or consulting agreement or relationship.
Absence of Changes or Events Since December 31, 1996: (a) there has not been any direct or indirect redemption, purchase or other acquisition of any shares of capital stock of the Company, or any declaration, setting aside or payment of any dividend or other distribution by the Company in respect of its capital stock, other than the payment made by the Company with respect to 500,000 shares of Common Stock put to the Company by Valcheck Company on June 30, 1997; (b) except in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practice, the Company has not incurred any indebtedness for borrowed money, or assumed, guaranteed, endorsed or otherwise as an accommodation become responsible for the obligations of any other individual, firm or corporation, made any loans or advances to any other individual, firm or corporation or entered into any commitment or transaction material to the Company taken as a whole; (c) there has not been any material change in the accounting methods, principles or practices of the Company; (d) there has not been any damage, destruction or loss, whether or not covered by insurance, except for such as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; (e) there has been no change in the business, operations, assets or financial condition of the Company that has had or will have a Material Adverse Effect; (f) there has not been any revaluation by the Company of any of its material assets, including but not limited to writing down the value of inventory or writing off notes or accounts receivable, in any case, other than in the ordinary course of business and in connection with the revaluation of certain fixed assets as set forth in the Disclosure Statement; (g) there has not been any increase in or establishment of any bonus, insurance, severance, deferred compensation, pension, retirement, profit sharing, stock option (including without limitation the granting of stock options, stock appreciation rights, performance awards or restricted stock awards), stock purchase or other employee benefit plan or agreement or arrangement, or any other increase in the compensation payable or to become payable to any present or former directors, officers or key employees of the Company, except for increases in base compensation in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, or any employment, consulting or severance agreement or arrangement entered into with any such present or former directors, officers or key employees; or (h) there has not been any agreement by the Company to (i) do any of the things described in the preceding clauses (a) through (g) other than as expressly contemplated or provided for in this Agreement or (ii) take, whether in writing or otherwise, any action which, if taken prior to the date of this Agreement, would have made any representation or warranty in this Article III untrue or incorrect.
Absence of Conflicts The execution and delivery of this Agreement and any other document or instrument contemplated hereby, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, and compliance with the requirements hereof and thereof, will not (a) violate any law, rule, regulation, order, writ, judgment, injunction, decree or award binding on Investor, (b) violate any provision of any indenture, instrument or agreement to which Investor is a party or is subject, or by which Investor or any of its assets is bound, or conflict with or constitute a material default thereunder, (c) result in the creation or imposition of any lien pursuant to the terms of any such indenture, instrument or agreement, or constitute a breach of any fiduciary duty owed by Investor to any third party, or (d) require the approval of any third-party (that has not been obtained) pursuant to any material contract, instrument, agreement, relationship or legal obligation to which Investor is subject or to which any of its assets, operations or management may be subject.
Absence of Material Change From the date of this Agreement to the Closing, there has not occurred any event, change, effect, act, discovery, or occurrence (or any combination of the forgoing) (whether or not referred to or described herein or in any Exhibit or Schedule hereto) that individually or in the aggregate would have, or would reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect.
