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EXHIBIT 4(a)
MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this day of , 1999, by and between XXXXXXX
XXXXX DISCIPLINED EQUITY FUND, INC., a Maryland corporation (hereinafter
referred to as the "Fund"), and XXXXXXX XXXXX ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P., a
Delaware limited partnership (hereinafter referred to as the "Manager").
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, the Fund is engaged in business as a diversified open-end
investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended (hereinafter referred to as the "Investment Company Act"); and
WHEREAS, the Manager is engaged principally in rendering management and
investment advisory services and is registered as an investment adviser under
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940; and
WHEREAS, the Fund desires to retain the Manager to render management and
investment advisory services to the Fund in the manner and on the terms
hereinafter set forth; and
WHEREAS, the Manager is willing to provide management and investment
advisory services to the Fund on the terms and conditions hereinafter set
forth;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and the covenants
hereinafter contained, the Fund and the Manager hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
Duties of the Manager
The Fund hereby employs the Manager to act as a manager and investment
adviser of the Fund and to furnish or arrange for affiliates to furnish, the
management and investment advisory services described below, subject to
policies of, review by and overall control of the Board of Directors of the
Fund (the "Directors"), for the period and on the terms and conditions set
forth in this Agreement. The Manager hereby accepts such employment and agrees
during such period, at its own expense, to render, or arrange for the rendering
of, such services and to assume the obligations herein set forth for the
compensation provided for herein. The Manager and its affiliates shall for all
purposes herein be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, unless
otherwise expressly provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or
represent the Fund in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Fund.
(a) Management and Administrative Services. The Manager shall perform (or
arrange for the performance by affiliates of) the management and administrative
services necessary for the operation of the Fund including administering
shareholder accounts and handling shareholder
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relations. The Manager shall provide the Fund with office space, equipment and
facilities and such other services as the Manager, subject to review by the
Directors, shall from time to time determine to be necessary or useful to
perform its obligations under this Agreement. The Manager shall also, on behalf
of the Fund, conduct relations with custodians, depositories, transfer agents,
dividend disbursing agents, other shareholder service agents, accountants,
attorneys, underwriters, brokers and dealers, corporate fiduciaries, insurers,
banks and such other persons in any such other capacity deemed to be necessary
or desirable. The Manager shall generally monitor the Fund's compliance with
investment policies and restrictions as set forth in the currently effective
prospectus and statement of additional information relating to the shares of the
Fund under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Prospectus" and
"Statement of Additional Information," respectively). The Manager shall make
reports to the Directors of its performance of obligations hereunder and furnish
advice and recommendations with respect to such other aspects of the business
and affairs of the Fund as it shall determine to be desirable.
(b) Investment Advisory Services. The Manager shall provide (or arrange
for affiliates to provide) the Fund with such investment research, advice and
supervision as the latter may from time to time consider necessary for the
proper supervision of the assets of the Fund, shall furnish continuously an
investment program for the Fund and shall determine from time to time which
securities shall be purchased, sold or exchanged and what portion of the assets
of the Fund shall be held in the various securities in which the Fund invests,
options, futures, options on futures or cash, subject always to the
restrictions set forth in the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of the
Fund, as amended from time to time, the provisions of the Investment Company
Act and the statements relating to the Fund's investment objectives, investment
policies and investment restrictions as the same are set forth in the
Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information. The Manager shall also make
decisions for the Fund as to the manner in which voting rights, rights to
consent to corporate action and any other rights pertaining to the Fund's
portfolio securities shall be exercised. Should the Directors at any time,
however, make any definite determination as to investment policy and notify the
Manager thereof in writing, the Manager shall be bound by such determination
for the period, if any, specified in such notice or until similarly notified
that such determination has been revoked. The Manager shall take, on behalf of
the Fund, all actions which it deems necessary to implement the investment
policies determined as provided above, and in particular to place all orders
for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities for the Fund's account with
brokers or dealers selected by it, and to that end, the Manager is authorized
as the agent of the Fund to give instructions to the Custodian of the Fund as
to deliveries of securities and payments of cash for the account of the Fund.
In connection with the selection of such brokers or dealers and the placing of
such orders with respect to assets of the Fund, the Manager is directed at all
times to seek to obtain execution and price within the policy guidelines
determined by the Directors as set forth in the Prospectus and Statement of
Additional Information. Subject to this requirement and the provisions of the
Investment Company Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and
other applicable provisions of law, the Manager may select brokers or dealers
with which it or the Fund is affiliated.
(c) Notice Upon Change in Partners of Manager. The Manager is a limited
partnership and its limited partner is Xxxxxxx Xxxxx & Co., Inc. and its
general partner is Princeton Services, Inc. The Manager will notify the Fund of
any change in the membership of the partnership within a reasonable time after
such change.
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ARTICLE II
Allocation of Charges and Expenses
(a) The Manager. The Manager assumes and shall pay for maintaining
the staff and personnel necessary to perform its obligations under this
Agreement, and shall at its own expense, provide the office space, equipment
and facilities which it is obligated to provide under Article I hereof, and
shall pay all compensation of officers of the Fund and all Directors who are
affiliated persons of the Manager.
(b) The Fund. The Fund assumes and shall pay or cause to be paid all
other expenses of the Fund (except for the expenses paid by the Distributor),
including, without limitation: redemption expenses, expenses of portfolio
transactions, expenses of registering shares under federal and state securities
laws, pricing costs (including the daily calculation of net asset value),
expenses of printing shareholder reports, stock certificates, prospectuses and
statements of additional information, Securities and Exchange Commission fees,
interest, taxes, custodian and transfer agency fees, fees and actual
out-of-pocket expenses of Directors who are not affiliated persons of the
Manager, fees for legal and auditing services, litigation expenses, costs of
printing proxies and other expenses related to shareholder meetings, and other
expenses properly payable by the Fund. It is also understood that the Fund will
reimburse the Manager for its costs in providing accounting services to the
Fund. The Distributor will pay certain of the expenses of the Fund incurred in
connection with the continuous offering of Fund shares.
ARTICLE III
Compensation of the Manager
Management Fee. For the services rendered, the facilities furnished and
expenses assumed by the Manager, the Fund shall pay to the Manager at the end
of each calendar month a fee based upon the average daily value of the net
assets of the Fund, as determined and computed in accordance with the
description of the determination of net asset value contained in the Prospectus
and Statement of Additional Information, at the annual rate of 0.65% of the
average daily net assets of the Fund, commencing on the day following
effectiveness hereof. If this Agreement becomes effective subsequent to the
first day of a month or shall terminate before the last day of a month,
compensation for that part of the month this Agreement is in effect shall be
prorated in a manner consistent with the calculation of the fee as set forth
above. During any period when the determination of net asset value is suspended
by the Directors, the net asset value of a share as of the last business day
prior to such suspension shall for this purpose be deemed to be the net asset
value at the close of each succeeding business day until it is again
determined.
ARTICLE IV
Sub-Advisory Agreement
The Manager may enter into a separate sub-advisory agreement with Xxxxxxx
Xxxxx Asset Management U.K. Limited ("MLAM U.K.") in which the Manager may
contract for sub-advisory services and pay MLAM U.K. compensation for its
services out of the compensation received hereunder pursuant to Article III.
Such sub-advisory agreement will be coterminous with this Management Agreement.
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ARTICLE V
Limitation of Liability of the Manager
The Manager shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of
law or for any loss arising out of any investment or for any act or omission in
the management of the Fund, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross
negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of reckless disregard
of its obligations and duties hereunder. As used in this Article V, the term
"Manager" shall include any affiliates of the Manager performing services for
the Fund contemplated hereby and directors, officers and employees of the
Manager and such affiliates.
ARTICLE VI
Activities of the Manager
The services of the Manager to the Fund are not to be deemed to be
exclusive, and the Manager and any person controlled by or under common control
with the Manager (for purposes of Article VI referred to as "affiliates") is
free to render services to others. It is understood that Directors, officers,
employees and shareholders of the Fund are or may become interested in the
Manager and its affiliates, as directors, officers, employees and shareholders
or otherwise and that directors, officers, employees and shareholders of the
Manager and its affiliates are or may become similarly interested in the Fund,
and that the Manager and directors, officers, employees, partners and
shareholders of its affiliates may become interested in the Fund as shareholder
or otherwise.
ARTICLE VII
Duration and Termination of this Contract
This Agreement shall become effective as of the date first above written
and shall remain in force until , 2001, and thereafter, but only so long as
such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (i) the
Directors, or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of
the Fund, and (ii) a majority of those Directors who are not parties to this
Agreement or interested persons of any such party cast in person at a meeting
called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
This Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any
penalty, by the Directors or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities of the Fund, or by the Manager, on sixty days' written notice to the
other party. This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its
assignment.
ARTICLE VIII
Amendments of this Agreement
This Agreement may be amended by the parties only if such amendment is
specifically approved by (i) the vote of a majority of outstanding voting
securities of the Fund, and (ii) a majority of those Directors who are not
parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such party cast in
person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
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ARTICLE IX
Definitions of Certain Terms
The terms "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities,"
"assignment," "affiliated person" and "interested person," when used in this
Agreement, shall have the respective meanings specified in the Investment
Company Act and the Rules and Regulations thereunder, subject, however, to such
exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under
the Investment Company Act.
ARTICLE X
Governing Law
This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with laws of the State of
New York and the applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act. To the
extent that the applicable laws of the State of New York, or any of the
provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the Investment
Company Act, the latter shall control.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed and delivered this
Agreement as of the day and year first above written.
XXXXXXX XXXXX DISCIPLINED EQUITY FUND, INC.
By
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Name:
Title:
XXXXXXX XXXXX ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.
By
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Name:
Title:
