11. Performance Compensation Awards.
(a)Generally. The Committee shall have the authority, at or before the time of grant of any Award, to designate such Award as a Performance Compensation Award. The Committee shall also have the authority to make an Award of a cash incentive to any Participant and designate such Award as a Performance Compensation Award.
(b)Discretion of Committee with Respect to Performance Compensation Awards. With regard to a particular Performance Period, the Committee shall have sole discretion to select the length of such Performance Period, the types of Performance Compensation Awards to be issued, the Performance Criteria that will be used to establish the Performance Goals, the kinds and/or levels of the Performance Goals that are to apply and the Performance Formula.
(c)Performance Criteria. The Performance Criteria that will be used to establish the Performance Goals may be based on the attainment of specific levels of performance of the Company (and/or one or more of its Affiliates, divisions or operational and/or business units, product lines, brands, business segments, administrative departments, or any combination of the foregoing) or the attainment of one or more individual goals and may include, without limitation: (i) earnings; (ii) income; (iii) cash flows; (iv) earnings per share, as adjusted for any stock split, stock dividend or other recapitalization; (v) revenues; (vi) profits; (vii) return measures (including, without limitation, return on investment, assets, revenues, capital, employed capital, invested capital, equity or sales); (viii) expense or expenditure targets or savings; (ix) operating margins; (x) total stockholder return or other stock price performance metrics; (xi) other balance sheet, statement of operations or statement of cash flows metrics; (xii) systemwide sales or revenues; (xiii) same-restaurant sales; (xiv) average unit volumes; (xv) new restaurant development, including restaurant openings, closings and commitments; (xvi) restaurant reimaging or remodeling; (xvii) customer counts, acquisition, retention or satisfaction; (xviii) productivity, efficiency or other operations measures; (xix) measures of economic value added or similar metrics; (xx) market share; (xxi) brand recognition or acceptance; (xxii) franchisee performance, satisfaction, retention or recruitment; (xxiii) cost of capital, borrowing levels, leverage ratios or credit ratings; (xxiv) measures of supply chain management, performance or related initiatives; (xxv) employee satisfaction, retention or recruitment; (xxvi) environmental, social or governance measures or other corporate social responsibility initiatives; (xxvii) strategic initiatives, including, without limitation, acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, refranchising transactions, reorganizations, recapitalizations, restructurings, financings, debt or equity issuances or repurchases or other corporate transactions, daypart expansion, international expansion, digital initiatives, product roll-outs and innovation and other strategic transactions; (xxviii) any combination of the foregoing; or (xxix) any other objective or subjective criteria that the Committee, in its sole discretion, determines to be appropriate. The term “Performance Criteria” shall include any derivations of the Performance Criteria listed above (e.g., “income” shall includepre-tax income, net income, adjusted net income, operating income, etc.). Any one or more of the Performance Criteria may be stated as a percentage of another Performance Criteria, used on an absolute or relative basis or compared to the past or current performance of the Company, a selected group of comparison companies, a published or special index or various stock market indices as the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate. Performance Criteria that are financial metrics may be determined in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) or financial metrics that are based on, or able to be derived from GAAP, and may be adjusted when established or at any time thereafter to include or exclude any items otherwise includable or excludable under GAAP. The Committee also has the authority to provide for accelerated vesting of any Award based on the achievement of Performance Goals established by the Committee.
(d)Modification of Performance Goals. If the Committee determines that a change in the business, operations, corporate structure or capital structure of the Company, or the manner in which the Company conducts its business, or other events or circumstances render the Performance Goals unsuitable, the Committee may modify the applicable levels of achievement, in whole or in part, as the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate. Performance Goals may be adjusted for items not originally contemplated in establishing the applicable levels of achievement, including, without limitation, discontinued operations, foreign exchange gains and losses, extraordinary gains and losses, the effect of changes in accounting standards or principles, acquisitions or divestitures, changes in tax rules or regulations, capital transactions, restructuring, nonrecurring gains or losses or other unusual or significant items. Performance Criteria may vary from Award to Award, and from Participant to Participant, and may be established on a stand-alone basis, in tandem or in the alternative.
(e)Payment of Performance Compensation Awards.
(i)Condition to Receipt of Payment. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Award agreement, a Participant must be employed by the Company on the last day of a Performance Period to be eligible for payment in respect of a Performance Compensation Award for such Performance Period.
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