Company Stock Plans (a) Effective as of the Effective Time, each outstanding stock option, stock equivalent right or right to acquire Shares (each a “Company Option” and collectively, the “Company Options”) granted under the Company’s 1991 Incentive Stock Option Plan, 1997 Stock Option Plan or 2005 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Company Stock Plans”) or granted outside of a plan, without regard to the extent then vested and exercisable, shall be cancelled and, in consideration of such cancellation, Parent shall, or shall cause the Surviving Corporation to, promptly following the Effective Time, pay to such holders of Company Options, an amount in respect thereof equal to the product of (x) the excess, if any, of the Offer Price over the exercise price of each such Company Option and (y) the number of unexercised Shares subject thereto (such payment, if any, to be net of applicable Taxes withheld pursuant to Section 2.5).
(b) Effective as of the Effective Time, restrictions on each restricted stock award (each a “Company Restricted Share” and collectively, the “Company Restricted Shares”) granted under any Company Stock Plan, which is outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, will lapse as of such Effective Time and such Company Restricted Shares shall be treated in the same manner as other Shares pursuant to Section 2.1(c) (except that with respect to any restrictions which by the terms provide for a lapse to a lesser extent upon the consummation of the Merger, such restrictions shall only lapse to such lesser extent) (such payment, if any, to be net of applicable Taxes withheld pursuant to Section 2.5).
(c) As of the Effective Time, the Company Stock Plans shall terminate and all rights under any provision of any other plan, program or arrangement providing for the issuance or grant of any other interest in respect of the capital stock of the Company, or any Company Subsidiary (as defined in Section 3.4(a)), shall be cancelled. The Company shall ensure that, after the Effective Time, no person shall have any right under the Company Stock Plans to acquire any capital stock of the Company or the Surviving Corporation or any other equity interest therein (including “phantom” stock or stock appreciation rights), except as set forth herein. The Company Board of Directors (or, if appropriate, any committee thereof administering the Company Stock Plans) shall adopt such resolutions, or take such other actions as may be required, to effect the foregoing.
ESPP As soon as administratively practicable following the date of this Agreement, but not later than the day immediately prior to the date on which the first (1st) offering period that is regularly scheduled to commence under the ESPP after the date of this Agreement is scheduled to commence, the Company (or, if appropriate, the applicable committee administering the ESPP) shall take all actions necessary or required under the ESPP (including, if appropriate, amending the terms of the ESPP) and applicable Law to (i) suspend the ESPP so that (x) no further offering periods shall commence after the date of this Agreement, (y) no individual participating in any offering period in progress as of the date of this Agreement shall be permitted to increase the amount of his or her rate of payroll contributions thereunder from the rate in effect when the last offering period commenced, or to make separate non-payroll contributions to the ESPP on or following the date of this Agreement; and (z) no individual who is not participating in the ESPP as of the date of this Agreement may commence participation in the ESPP following the date of this Agreement, (ii) end the last offering period that commenced prior to the date of this Agreement on the earlier to occur of its regularly scheduled end date under the terms of the ESPP or three (3) calendar days prior to the Effective Time, and (iii) cause the ESPP to terminate as of the Effective Time such that no further rights shall be granted or exercised under the ESPP thereafter. With respect to the offering period that is in effect on the date of this Agreement, each ESPP participant may apply his or her accumulated payroll deductions to purchase shares of the Company Common Stock under the ESPP in accordance with its terms on the regularly scheduled purchase date for such offering period; provided, that, if the Closing Date occurs prior to the purchase date for the offering period, then each ESPP participant’s accumulated payroll deductions under the ESPP shall be used to purchase Shares in accordance with the terms of the ESPP no later than three (3) business days prior to the Effective Time; provided, further, that the applicable purchase price per Share as set forth in the ESPP shall not be decreased below levels set forth in the ESPP as of the date hereof. All Shares of Company Common Stock purchased under the ESPP shall be considered outstanding Shares for all purposes of this Agreement, including, without limitation, for purposes of the right to receive the Forms of Election and to make elections and receive the Merger Consideration with respect thereto.
Stock Plans (a) At the Effective Time, the Stock Plans (other than the ESPP) and each Option which is outstanding thereunder immediately prior to the Effective Time (whether or not then vested or exercisable) shall, subject to Schedule 5.8(a), be assumed by Parent. Each such Option so assumed by Parent under this Agreement shall continue to have, and be subject to, the same terms and conditions set forth in the applicable Stock Plans and the stock option agreements, immediately prior to the Effective Time, except that (i) such Option will be exercisable for that number of whole Parent Ordinary Shares equal to the product of the number of shares of Company Common Stock that were issuable upon exercise of such Option immediately prior to the Effective Time multiplied by the Option Exchange Ratio and rounded down to the nearest whole number of Parent Ordinary Shares, and (ii) the per share exercise price for the Parent Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of such assumed Option will be equal to the quotient determined by dividing the exercise price per share of Company Common Stock at which such Option was exercisable immediately prior to the Effective Time by the Option Exchange Ratio, rounded up to the nearest whole cent. Except as set forth in Section 5.8 of the Disclosure Schedule, neither the Merger nor the transactions contemplated by this Agreement will terminate any of the outstanding Options under the Stock Plans or accelerate the exercisability or vesting of such Options or the Parent Ordinary Shares which will be subject to those Options upon Parent’s assumption of the Options in the Merger. It is the intention of the parties that the Options so assumed by Parent hereunder qualify, to the maximum extent permissible, following the Effective Time as “incentive stock options” as defined in Section 422 of the Code to the extent such Options qualified as incentive stock options prior to the Effective Time.
(b) For purposes of this Agreement, (i) “Option Exchange Ratio” shall be equal to the quotient obtained by dividing the Merger Consideration by the Parent Fair Market Value, and (ii) “Parent Fair Market Value” means the average closing selling price per share of Parent Ordinary Shares as quoted on the London Stock Exchange for the ten (10) trading days preceding the Closing Date (as converted to U.S. Dollars at the Currency Exchange Rate as quoted in the New York edition of The Wall Street Journal on the Effective Date).
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.
Equity Plans Executive shall be entitled to participate in any equity or other employee benefit plan that is generally available to senior executive officers, as distinguished from general management, of the Company. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, Executive’s participation in and benefits under any such plan shall be on the terms and subject to the conditions specified in the governing document of the particular plan.
Share Option Plans Each share option granted by the Company under the Company’s share option plan was granted (i) in accordance with the terms of the Company’s share option plan and (ii) with an exercise price at least equal to the fair market value of the Ordinary Shares on the date such share option would be considered granted under GAAP and applicable law. No share option granted under the Company’s share option plan has been backdated. The Company has not knowingly granted, and there is no and has been no Company policy or practice to knowingly grant, share options prior to, or otherwise knowingly coordinate the grant of share options with, the release or other public announcement of material information regarding the Company or its Subsidiaries or their financial results or prospects.
Option Plans There is no share option plan or similar plan to acquire any additional shares or units or other equity interests, as the case may be, of IEM or securities convertible or exercisable into or exchangeable for, or which otherwise confer on the holder thereof any right to acquire, any such additional shares or units or equity interests, as the case may be.
Company Stock Options At the Effective Time, each Company Stock --------------------- Option shall be deemed to have been assumed by Evergreen, without further action by Evergreen, and shall thereafter be deemed an option to acquire, on the same terms and conditions as were applicable under such Company Stock Option, that number of shares of Surviving Corporation Common Stock that would have been received in respect of such Company Stock Option if it had been exercised immediately prior to the Effective Time (such Company Stock Options assumed by Evergreen, the "Assumed Chancellor Stock Options"); provided, however, that, for -------- ------- each optionholder, (i) the aggregate fair market value of Surviving Corporation Common Stock subject to Assumed Chancellor Stock Options immediately after the Effective Time shall not exceed the aggregate exercise price thereof by more than the excess of the aggregate fair market value of Company Common Stock subject to Company Stock Options immediately before the Effective Time over the aggregate exercise price thereof and (ii) on a share-by-share comparison, the ratio of the exercise price of the Assumed Chancellor Stock Option to the fair market value of the Surviving Corporation Common Stock immediately after the Effective Time is no more favorable to the optionholder than the ratio of the exercise price of the Company Stock Option to the fair market value of the Company Common Stock immediately before the Effective Time; and provided, -------- further, that no fractional shares shall be issued on the exercise of such ------- Assumed Chancellor Stock Option and, in lieu thereof, the holder of such Assumed Chancellor Stock Option shall only be entitled to a cash payment in the amount of such fraction multiplied by the closing price per share of Surviving Corporation Common Stock on the Nasdaq National Market on the business day immediately prior to the date of such exercise.
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 ESPP (i) Prior to the Appointment Time, the Company shall take all actions necessary such that the current offering period in progress as of the date of this Agreement shall be the final offering period under the Company ESPP. If such offering period has not ended prior to the Appointment Time, then, prior to the Appointment Time, the Company (x) shall take all actions necessary such that a date to be determined by the Company (but in no event later than the Appointment Time) shall be the last day of such offering period and (y) shall make such other pro-rata adjustments as may be necessary to reflect the shortened and final offering period but otherwise treating such shortened and final offering period as a fully effective and completed offering period for all purposes under the Company ESPP. In addition, effective as of the date of this Agreement, the Company shall have taken all actions necessary such that (x) no new participant shall be permitted to join the current offering period in progress under the Company ESPP and (y) no participant in the Company ESPP with respect to the current offering period shall be permitted to increase his or her elections with respect to the current offering period.
(ii) Unless it has earlier terminated, the Company shall take all actions necessary so that the Company ESPP shall terminate immediately prior to and effective as of the Appointment Time. All amounts withheld by the Company on behalf of the participants in the Company ESPP that have not been used to purchase Company Common Stock at or prior to the Appointment Time will be returned to the participants without interest pursuant to the terms of the Company ESPP.
(iii) The Company agrees to take any and all actions necessary to approve and effectuate the foregoing provisions of this Section 3.7(f) including making any determinations and/or resolutions of the Company Board or a committee thereof.
