16. No Advice Regarding Grant. No employee of the Company is permitted to advise you regarding your participation in the Plan or your acquisition or sale of the shares of Stock underlying the Performance Shares. You are hereby advised to consult with your own personal tax, legal and financial advisors before taking any action related to the Plan.
17. Change in Stock. In the event of any change in the shares of Stock, by reason of any stock dividend, recapitalization, reorganization, split-up, merger, consolidation, exchange of shares, or of any similar change affecting the shares of Stock, the number of the Performance Shares subject to this Award Agreement shall be equitably adjusted by the Committee.
18. Nature of the Award. In accepting the Award, you acknowledge, understand and agree that:
(a) the Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature and limited in duration, and it may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated by the Company, in its sole discretion, at any time;
(b) the grant of the Award is exceptional, voluntary and occasional and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of Performance Shares, or benefits in lieu of Performance Shares, even if Performance Shares have been granted in the past;
(c) all decisions with respect to future Awards or other grants, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company, including, but not limited to, the form and timing of the Award, the number of shares of Stock subject to the Award, and the earning provisions applicable to the Award;
(d) the Award and your participation in the Plan shall not create a right to employment or be interpreted as forming an employment or service contract with the Company or any Affiliate and shall not interfere with the ability of the Company, your Employer or an Affiliate, as applicable, to terminate your employment or service relationship;
(e) you are voluntarily participating in the Plan;
(f) the Award and the shares of Stock subject to the Award are not intended to replace any pension rights or compensation;
(g) the Award, the shares of Stock subject to the Award and the income and value of the same, is an extraordinary item of compensation outside the scope of your employment (and employment contract, if any) and is not part of normal or expected compensation for any purpose, including, without limitation, calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, dismissal, end-of-service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments and in no event should be considered as compensation for, or relating in any way to, past services for the Company, your Employer or any Affiliate;
(h) the future value of the shares of Stock underlying the Award is unknown, indeterminable and cannot be predicted with certainty;
(i) unless otherwise determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, a Termination of Service shall be effective from the date on which active employment or service ends and shall not be extended by any statutory or common law notice of termination period;
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