12.2 Performance Units
The Plan Administrator may grant Awards of performance units (“Performance Units”) and designate the Participants to whom Performance Units are to be awarded and determine the number of Performance Units and the terms and conditions of each such Award. Performance Units shall consist of a unit valued by reference to a designated amount of property other than shares of Common Stock, which value may be paid to the Participant by delivery of such property as the Plan Administrator shall determine, including, without limitation, cash, shares of Common Stock, other property, or any combination thereof, upon the attainment of performance goals, as established by the Plan Administrator, and other terms and conditions specified by the Plan Administrator. Notwithstanding the satisfaction of any performance goals, the amount to be paid under an Award of Performance Units may be adjusted on the basis of such further consideration as the Plan Administrator shall determine in its sole discretion.
SECTION 13. CODE SECTION 162(m) PROVISIONS
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, if the Plan Administrator determines at the time a Stock Award or a Performance Award is granted to a Participant who is then an officer that such Participant is, or is likely to be as of the end of the tax year in which the Company would claim a tax deduction in connection with such Award, a Covered Employee, then the Plan Administrator may provide that this Section 13 is applicable to such Award.
(b) If a Stock Award or a Performance Award is subject to this Section 13, then the lapsing of restrictions thereon and the distribution of cash, shares of Common Stock or other property pursuant thereto, as applicable, shall be subject to the achievement of one or more objective performance goals established by the Plan Administrator, which shall be based on the following business criteria, either individually, alternatively or in any combination, as reported or calculated by the Company: (i) earnings, including one or more of operating income, earnings before or after taxes, earnings before or after interest, depreciation, amortization, adjusted EBITDA, economic earnings, or extraordinary or special items or book value per share (which may exclude nonrecurring items); (ii) pre-tax income or after-tax income; (iii) earnings per share (basic or diluted); (iv) operating profit; (v) revenue, revenue growth or rate of revenue growth; (vi) return on assets (gross or net), return on investment, return on capital, or return on equity; (vii) returns on sales or revenues; (viii) operating expenses; (ix) share price or total shareholder return; (x) cash flow, free cash flow, cash flow return on investment (discounted or otherwise), net cash provided by operations, or cash flow in excess of cost of capital; (xi) implementation or completion of critical projects or processes; (xii) cumulative earnings per share growth; (xiii) operating margin or profit margin; (xiv) cost targets, reductions and savings, productivity and efficiencies; (xv) strategic business criteria, consisting of one or more objectives based on meeting specified market penetration, product quality measures, geographic business expansion, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, human resources management, supervision of litigation, information technology, and goals relating to acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and similar transactions, and budget comparisons; (xvi) personal professional objectives, including any of the foregoing performance goals, the implementation of policies and plans, the negotiation of transactions, the development of long term business goals, formation of joint ventures, research or development collaborations, and the completion of other corporate transactions; (xvii) other measurable business drivers; and (xviii) any combination of, or a specified increase in, any of the foregoing, any of which may be used to measure the performance of the Company as a whole or with respect to any business unit, Subsidiary or business segment of the Company, either individually, alternatively or in any combination, and may be measured either annually or cumulatively over a period of years or other period, on an absolute basis or relative to a pre-established target, to previous period results or to a designated comparison group. Any performance goals that are financial metrics, may be determined in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), in accordance with accounting principles established by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB Principles”), or may be adjusted when established to include or exclude any items otherwise includable or excludable under GAAP or under IASB Principles. The Plan Administrator may provide for exclusion of the impact of an event or occurrence which the Plan Administrator determines should appropriately be excluded, including (a) restructurings, discontinued operations, extraordinary items, and other unusual, infrequently occurring or non-recurring charges or events, (b) asset write-downs, (c) litigation or claim judgments or settlements, (d) acquisitions or divestitures,