Stock Options and Restricted Stock The Company shall grant to Executive effective as of the Effective Date non-qualified stock options (to be known as the "IPO Options") to purchase, and awards of restricted stock (to be known as the "IPO Restricted Stock") for, an aggregate number of shares of the Company's no par value common stock equal to 0.65 percent of the Shares that will be outstanding immediately following the closing of the Initial Public Offering (5), with 70 percent of such Shares (rounded to the nearest 100 and being an estimated 36,400 Shares) being in the form of Stock Options and 30 percent of such Shares (rounded to the nearest 100 and being an estimated 15,600 Shares) being in the form of Restricted Stock under the Company's 2003 Stock Option and Award Plan (the "Stock Option Plan"). The IPO Options shall be at an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Shares as determined by the offering price in the Initial Public Offering. The Shares subject to the IPO Options shall vest over three years of service and the shares of IPO Restricted Stock shall vest over four years of service after the Effective Date. The grant of the IPO Options and the IPO Restricted Stock and the exercise of the IPO Options shall be subject to all of the terms and conditions of the Stock Option Plan. Notwithstanding the forgoing, to the extent not contrary to applicable law, all of the IPO Options shall become fully vested and remain exercisable pursuant to their respective terms for the remainder of their respective Exercise Periods , and all unvested Shares, if any, of the IPO Restricted Stock shall become fully vested, effective upon termination of Executive's employment by reason of death, discharge by the Company pursuant to 3.4
(a) other than for Cause, resignation by Executive pursuant to Section 3.4(b) for Good Reason, termination by resignation or discharge for any reason other than Cause upon or after a Change in Control, or "retirement" or "disability" within the meaning of the Stock Option Plan; and all options granted after or in addition to the IPO Options, all shares of Restricted Stock awarded after or in additional to the IPO Restricted Stock, and any and all other awards to Executive pursuant to the Stock Option Plan shall be subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined at the time of any such award under the direction of the Board pursuant to the Stock Option Plan. The Company shall exercise best efforts to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the issuance of shares of stock issued pursuant to the Stock Option Plan and to satisfy the current public information requirements of Rule 144(c) for purpose of allowing Executive to resell such shares.
Company Options (a) At the Effective Time, each Company Option, whether vested or unvested, will be assumed by NetRatings as contemplated by this Section 5.7. Section 5.7 of the Company Disclosure Schedule hereto sets forth a true and complete list as of the date of this Agreement of all holders of outstanding Company Options, including the number of shares of Company Common Stock subject to each such option, the exercise or vesting schedule, the exercise price per share and the term of each such Company Option. On the Closing Date, the Company shall deliver to NetRatings an updated Section 5.7 of the Company Disclosure Schedule hereto current as of such date. Each such Company Option so assumed by NetRatings under this Agreement shall continue to have, and be subject to, the same terms and conditions set forth in the Company Option Plan and any other document governing such Company Option immediately prior to the Effective Time, except that (i) such Company Option will be exercisable for that number of whole shares of NetRatings Common Stock equal to the product of the number of shares of Company Common Stock that were issuable upon exercise of such Company Option immediately prior to the Effective Time multiplied by the Common Exchange Ratio and rounded down to the nearest whole number of shares of NetRatings Common Stock, (ii) the per share exercise price for the shares of NetRatings Common Stock issuable upon exercise of such assumed option will be equal to the quotient determined by dividing the exercise price per share at which such Company Option was exercisable immediately prior to the Effective Time by the Common Exchange Ratio, rounded up to the nearest whole tenth of a cent, and (iii) the term, vesting schedule and other provisions of such Company Option shall remain unchanged, provided that all outstanding Options shall be exercisable as of the Effective Time to the extent vested as of the Effective Time and will continue to become exercisable as they vest after the Effective Time. Consistent with the terms of the Company Option Plan and the documents governing the outstanding Company Options, the Merger will not result in the termination of any of the outstanding Company Options or, except as contemplated by the preceding sentence, the acceleration of the exercisability or vesting of such Company Options upon NetRatings' assumption of the Company Options in the Merger. Within 20 business days after the Effective Time, NetRatings will issue to each person who, immediately prior to the Effective Time, was a holder of an outstanding Company Option a document in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to ACN evidencing the foregoing assumption of such Company Option by NetRatings.
(b) As soon as practicable after the Effective Time, but in any event within 30 days thereafter, NetRatings shall file a registration statement on Form S-8 (or any successor or other appropriate forms), with respect to the shares of NetRatings Common Stock subject to the Company Options assumed by NetRatings and shall use its best efforts to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement or registration statements (and maintain the current status of the prospectus or prospectuses in connection therewith) for so long as the assumed Company Options remain outstanding.
Company Restricted Stock “Company Restricted Stock” shall mean shares of Company Common Stock, whether granted by the Company pursuant to a Company Equity Plan, assumed by the Company in connection with any merger, acquisition or similar transaction or otherwise issued or granted, that are subject to a Contract pursuant to which the Company has the right to repurchase, redeem or otherwise reacquire such shares of Company Common Stock, including by forfeiture.
Company RSUs (i) Except as set forth in Section 2.8 of the Company Disclosure Letter, at the Effective Time each award of Company RSUs that (A) is vested and outstanding as of immediately prior to the Effective Time or (B) pursuant to its terms as in effect as of the date hereof, would become vested as of the Effective Time (in each case, with any performance conditions applicable to such award of Company RSUs determined in accordance with the applicable award agreement relating thereto as of immediately prior to the Effective Time), will automatically, without any action on the part of the holder thereof, be cancelled and converted into the right to receive an amount in cash, without interest thereon and subject to applicable withholding Taxes, equal to the product of (x) the Per Share Price and (y) the total number of shares of Company Common Stock subject to such award of Company RSUs as of immediately prior to the Effective Time (the “Cash-Out RSU Consideration,” and together with the Cash-Out Option Consideration, the “Cash-Out Equity Award Consideration”).
(ii) Except as set forth in Section 2.8 of the Company Disclosure Letter, at the Effective Time, each award of Company RSUs that (A) was granted prior to the date hereof and (B) is outstanding and unvested as of the Effective Time shall, by virtue of the Merger and without further action on the part of the holder thereof, be cancelled and converted into the contractual right to receive a payment in an amount in cash (without interest and subject to applicable withholding Taxes) equal to the product of (x) the Per Share Price and (y) the total number of shares of Company Common Stock subject to such award of Company RSUs as of immediately prior to the Effective Time (each, a “Converted RSU Cash Award”). Except as otherwise provided in this Section 2.8(c)(ii), each Converted RSU Cash Award shall be subject to the same terms and conditions (including time-based vesting conditions) as applied to the corresponding award of Company RSUs immediately prior to the Effective Time and will become payable to the holder thereof in accordance with the original vesting schedule applicable to the corresponding Company RSU; provided, that each Converted RSU Cash Award shall provide that the unvested portion, if any, of such Converted RSU Cash Award will immediately vest and become payable upon a termination of the holder’s employment or services by the Surviving Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries without “Cause” or a resignation by the holder for “Good Reason” (each as defined in Section 6.10(d) of the Company Disclosure Letter) that occurs within the twelve (12) month period following the Effective Time.
(iii) At the Effective Time, each award of Company RSUs that is (A) granted on or after the date hereof (to the extent expressly permitted pursuant to Section 5.2(g)) and (B) outstanding and unvested as of the Effective Time shall, by virtue of the Merger and without further action on the part of the holder thereof, be assumed by Parent and converted into an Ultimate Parent restricted stock unit award (each, an “Assumed RSU Award”) on the same terms and conditions (including applicable vesting and expiration provisions) as applied to each such award of Company RSUs immediately prior to the Effective Time, except that each Assumed RSU Award shall cover that number of whole shares of Ultimate Parent Common Stock equal to the product of (x) the number of shares of Company Common Stock underlying such award of Company RSUs immediately prior to the Effective Time multiplied by (y) the Equity Award Exchange Ratio, with the result rounded down to the nearest whole number of shares of Ultimate Parent Common Stock.
Restricted Stock Agreement Each Award of Restricted Stock shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify the Period of Restriction, the number of Shares granted, and such other terms and conditions as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine. Unless the Committee determines otherwise, Shares of Restricted Stock shall be held by the Company as escrow agent until the restrictions on such Shares have lapsed.
Company Reacquisition Right In the event that (a) the Awardee’s employment terminates for any reason or no reason, with or without cause, or (b) the Awardee, the Awardee’s legal representative, or other holder of the shares of Common Stock subject to this Award, attempts to sell, exchange, transfer, pledge, or otherwise dispose of any portion of this Award prior to its distribution from the escrow established in accordance with Section 8 of this Agreement, the Company shall automatically reacquire such shares underlying the applicable portion of this Award, and the Awardee shall not be entitled to any payment therefore (the “Company Reacquisition Right”).
Settlement of Restricted Stock Units Subject to the terms of the Plan and this Agreement, Restricted Stock Units shall be settled in Shares, provided that Participant has satisfied any Tax-Related Items pursuant to Section 8 below. Shares will be issued to Participant within 70 days following the applicable Vesting Date unless subject to the terms of the Company’s deferred compensation plan; provided, however, that if the Participant is subject to taxation in the U.S. (a “U.S. Taxpayer”), the Restricted Stock Units vest pursuant to Section 1.6 below and the Restricted Stock Units are considered “non-qualified deferred compensation” subject to Section 409A of the Code (“Code Section 409A,” and such compensation, “Deferred Compensation”), the Shares will be issued in accordance with the following schedule: (i) if the termination event giving rise to the vesting acceleration occurs prior to the Change in Control and the Change in Control constitutes a “change in control event” (within the meaning of U.S. Treasury Regulation 1.409A-3(i)(5)(i)) (a “409A CIC”), the Shares will be issued on the date of the Change in Control, and if the Change in Control does not constitute a 409A CIC, the Shares will be issued on the date that is six months following the Participant’s “separation from service” (within the meaning of Code Section 409A) (a “Separation from Service”); (ii) if the termination event giving rise to the vesting acceleration occurs on or following the Change in Control and the Change in Control constitutes a 409A CIC, then the Shares will be issued within 30 days following the Participant’s Separation from Service, and if the Change in Control is not a 409A CIC, then the Shares will be issued on the date that is six months following the Participant’s Separation from Service. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of complying with Code Section 409A, if the Participant is a U.S. Taxpayer, the Restricted Stock Units are considered Deferred Compensation and the Restricted Stock Units are to be settled in connection with a termination contemplated under Section 1.6 below, the Company and the Participant shall take all steps necessary (including with regard to any post-termination services by the Participant) to ensure that a termination contemplated under Section 1.6 constitutes a Separation from Service. In addition, if the Restricted Stock Units are Deferred Compensation, the Restricted Stock Units are settled upon the Participant’s Separation from Service and the Participant is a “specified employee,” within the meaning of Code Section 409A, on the date the Participant experiences a Separation from Service, then the Shares will be issued on the first business day of the seventh month following the Participant’s Separation from Service, or, if earlier, on the date of the Participant’s death, to the extent such delayed payment is required in order to avoid a prohibited distribution under Code Section 409A.
Payment of Restricted Stock Units (a) The Restricted Stock Units that have become non-forfeitable pursuant to Section 1 of this Schedule B will be paid in Common Shares transferred to you within 10 business days following the Vesting Date, provided, however, that, subject to Section 3(b) of this Schedule B, (i) in the event a Change of Control occurs prior to the Vesting Date or (ii) in the event your employment terminates on account of the reasons set forth in Section 1(b)(ii) of this Schedule B prior to the Vesting Date, the Restricted Stock Units will be paid within 10 business days following such Change of Control or the date of the termination of your employment, whichever applies. If PolyOne determines that it is required to withhold any federal, state, local or foreign taxes from any payment, PolyOne will withhold Common Shares with a Market Value per Share equal to the amount of these taxes from the payment.
(b) If the event triggering the right to payment under Section 3(a) of this Schedule B does not constitute a permitted distribution event under Section 409A(a)(2) of the Code, then notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the payment of Common Shares will be made to you, to the extent necessary to comply with Section 409A of the Code, on the earliest of (i) your “separation from service” with PolyOne or a Subsidiary (determined in accordance with Section 409A) that occurs after the event giving rise to payment; (ii) the Vesting Date; or (iii) your death. In addition, if you are a “key employee” as determined pursuant to procedures adopted by PolyOne in compliance with Section 409A of the Code and any payment of Common Shares made pursuant to this Schedule B is considered to be a “deferral of compensation” (as such phrase is defined for purposes of Section 409A of the Code) that is payable upon your “separation from service” (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code), then the payment date for such payment shall be the date that is the tenth business day of the seventh month after the date of your “separation from service” with PolyOne or a Subsidiary (determined in accordance with Section 409A of the Code).
Company Option Plans At the Effective Time, all options (the "Company Options") then outstanding, whether or not vested and exercisable, under the Company's 1992 Stock Option Plan, 1996 Equity Incentive Plan, 1996 Directors Stock Option Plan and 1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, in each case as amended (collectively, the "Company Option Plans"), shall be assumed by Parent. Each Company Option assumed by Parent other than Company Options issued pursuant to the Company 1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan shall be subject to, and exercisable upon, the same terms and conditions as under the applicable Company Option Plan and the applicable option agreement issued thereunder, except that (a) each assumed Company Option shall be exercisable for, and represent the right to acquire, that number of shares of Parent Common Stock (rounded down to the nearest whole share) equal to (i) the number of shares of Company Common Stock subject to such Company Option immediately prior to the Effective Time multiplied by (ii) the Exchange Ratio; and (b) the option price per share of Parent Common Stock subject to each assumed Company Option shall be an amount equal to (i) the option price per share of Company Common Stock subject to such Company Option in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time divided by (ii) the Exchange Ratio (rounded up to the nearest whole cent). The Company represents and warrants that each of the foregoing actions may be taken and effected by the Company without the consent of any holder of Company Options. Each assumed purchase right under the Company 1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan shall continue to have, and be subject to, the terms and conditions set forth in the Company 1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan and the documents governing the assumed purchase right, except that the purchase price of such shares of Parent Common Stock for each respective purchase date under each assumed purchase right shall be the lower of (i) the quotient determined by dividing eighty-five percent (85%) of the fair market value of Company Common Stock on the offering date of each assumed offering period by the Exchange Ratio or (ii) eighty-five percent (85%) of the fair market value of the Parent Common Stock on each purchase date of each assumed offering period occurring after the Effective Time (with the number of shares rounded to the nearest whole share and the purchase price rounded to the nearest whole cent). The assumed purchase rights shall be exercised at such times following the Effective Time as set forth in the Company 1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan and each participant shall, accordingly, be issued shares of Parent Common Stock at such times pursuant to the Company 1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. The Company 1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan shall terminate with the exercise of the last assumed purchase right, and no additional purchase rights shall be granted under the Company Employee Stock Purchase Plan following the Effective Time. Parent agrees that from and after the Effective Time, employees of the Surviving Corporation may participate in Parent's employee stock purchase plan, subject to the terms and conditions of such plan. The adjustment provided herein with respect to stock options shall be and is intended to be effected in a manner which is consistent with Section 424(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). The duration, vesting schedule, exercisability and other terms of each option immediately after the Effective Time shall be the same as the corresponding terms in effect immediately before the Effective Time, except that all references to Company in the Company Option Plans (and the corresponding references in the option agreement documenting such option) shall be deemed to be references to Parent. Except as set forth in Section 3.2(d) of the Disclosure Schedule (as defined in Article III hereof), vesting of Company Options shall not be accelerated as a result of the Merger. Continuous employment with the Company or its Subsidiaries shall be credited to the optionee for purposes of determining the vesting of all assumed Company Options after the Effective Time. As soon as reasonably practicable, but in no event later than 30 days after the Effective Time, Parent will issue to each holder of an assumed Company Option notice of the foregoing assumption by Parent. Parent shall file with the SEC, no later than ten business days after the Effective Time, a Registration Statement on Form S-8 relating to the shares of Parent Common Stock issuable with respect to the Company Options assumed by Parent in accordance with this Section 2.6.
Merger Consideration Each share of the common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (a “Share” or, collectively, the “Shares”) issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time other than (i) Shares owned by Parent, Merger Sub or any other direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiary of Parent and Shares owned by the Company or any direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Company, and in each case not held on behalf of third parties (but not including Shares held by the Company in any “rabbi trust” or similar arrangement in respect of any compensation plan or arrangement) and (ii) Shares that are owned by stockholders (“Dissenting Stockholders”) who have perfected and not withdrawn a demand for appraisal rights pursuant to Section 262 of the DGCL (each Share referred to in clause (i) or clause (ii) being an “Excluded Share” and collectively, “Excluded Shares”) shall be converted into the right to receive $27.25 per Share in cash, without interest (the “Per Share Merger Consideration”). At the Effective Time, all of the Shares shall cease to be outstanding, shall be cancelled and shall cease to exist, and each certificate (a “Certificate”) formerly representing any of the Shares (other than Excluded Shares) and each non-certificated Share represented by book-entry (a “Book Entry Share”) (other than Excluded Shares) shall thereafter represent only the right to receive the Per Share Merger Consideration, without interest, and each Certificate formerly representing Shares or Book Entry Shares owned by Dissenting Stockholders shall thereafter only represent the right to receive the payment to which reference is made in Section 4.2(f).
