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                                                                      EXHIBIT 14
 
                                    FORM OF
                               FIRST AMENDMENT TO
            THE EXIDE ELECTRONICS GROUP, INC. 1989 STOCK OPTION PLAN
                             AND OPTIONS THEREUNDER
 
     The Exide Electronics Group, Inc. 1989 Stock Option Plan (the "Plan"), and
all Options, SARs, Restricted Shares and Restricted Stock Units currently
outstanding under the Plan ("Outstanding Awards"), are hereby amended, effective
as of July 16, 1997, as set forth below, pursuant to the authority of the Board
set forth in Section 13 of the Plan to amend the Plan. (All capitalized terms
used in this First Amendment and not defined herein shall have the meanings
ascribed to them in the Plan.)
 
     1.  Section 8 of the Plan is hereby amended to read in its entirety as
follows:
 
          8.  Changes in Capitalization.  In the event of any change in
     corporate capitalization, such as a stock split or a corporate transaction,
     such as any merger, consolidation, separation, including a spin-off, or
     other distribution of stock or property of the Corporation, any
     reorganization (whether or not such reorganization comes within the
     definition of such term in Section 368 of the Code) or any partial or
     complete liquidation of the Corporation, the Committee or Board may make
     such substitution or ad-justments in the aggregate number and kind of
     shares reserved for issuance under the Plan, in the number, kind and
     purchase price of shares subject to outstanding Options, SARs, Restricted
     Shares and Restricted Stock Units, and/or such other equitable substitution
     or adjustments, and/or such amendments to other relevant provisions as it
     may determine to be appropriate in its sole discretion; provided, however,
     that Section 15 hereof may not be amended in connection with or in
     anticipation of a Change of Control.
 
     2.  A new Section 15 is hereby added to the Plan, reading in its entirety
as follows:
 
          15.  Change of Control.  a. Notwithstanding any other provision of the
     Plan to the contrary (including without limitation Section 5.a. with
     respect to incentive stock options), in the event of a Change in Control
     (as defined below):
 
             i.  any Options and SARs outstanding as of the date of such Change
        of Control that are not then fully exercisable and vested shall become
        fully exercisable and vested to the full extent of the original grant;
 
             ii.  the Restriction Period applicable to all Restricted Shares
        shall expire and terminate, all other restrictions to which any
        Restricted Shares are subject at the time of such Change of Control
        shall lapse, and all Restricted Shares shall become free of all
        restrictions and become fully vested and transferable to the full extent
        of the original grant and stock certificates therefor shall be delivered
        to the appropriate Participants; and
 
             iii.  the Restriction Period applicable to all Restricted Stock
        Units shall expire, and payment in full with respect to such Restricted
        Stock Units shall be made in cash, with the per-share fair market value
        of such Restricted Stock Units being deemed to equal the Change of
        Control Price (as defined below); provided, that if such payment in cash
        would make a Change of Control transaction ineligible for
        pooling-of-interests accounting under APB No. 16 that but for the nature
        of such grant would otherwise be eligible for such accounting treatment,
        the Board or the Committee shall have the ability to substitute for such
        cash shares of Common Stock with a fair market value equal to the cash
        that would otherwise be payable hereunder.
 
          b.  For purposes of the foregoing:
 
             i.  "Change of Control" means:
 
                (a)  The acquisition by any individual, entity or group (within
           the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Securities
           Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act")) (a "Person")
           of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated
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           under the Exchange Act) of voting securities of the Corporation where
           such acquisition causes such Person to own 30% or more of the
           combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of
           the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of
           directors (the "Outstanding Corporation Voting Securities");
           provided, however, that for purposes of this subsection (a), the
           following acquisitions shall not be deemed to result in a Change of
           Control: (i) any acquisition directly from the Corporation, (ii) any
           acquisition by the Corporation, (iii) any acquisition by any employee
           benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the
           Corporation or any corporation controlled by the Corporation or (iv)
           any acquisition pursuant to a transaction that complies with clauses
           (i), (ii) and (iii) of subsection (c) below; or
 
                (b)  The individuals who, as of the date hereof, constitute the
           Board of Directors (the "Incumbent Board") cease for any reason to
           constitute at least a majority of the Board of Directors; provided,
           however, that any individual becoming a director subsequent to the
           date hereof whose election, or nomination for election by the
           Corporation's shareholders, was approved by a vote of at least a
           majority of the directors then comprising the Incumbent Board shall
           be considered as though such individual were a member of the
           Incumbent Board, but excluding, for this purpose, any such individual
           whose initial assumption of office occurs as a result of an actual or
           threatened election contest with respect to the election or removal
           of directors or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or
           consents by or on behalf of a Person other than the Board of
           Directors; or
 
                (c)  The approval by the shareholders of the Corporation of a
           reorganization, merger or consolidation or sale or other disposition
           of all or substantially all of the assets of the Corporation or the
           acquisition of assets of another entity ("Business Combination") or,
           if consummation of such Business Combination is subject, at the time
           of such approval by shareholders, to the consent of any government or
           governmental agency, the obtaining of such consent (either explicitly
           or implicitly by consummation); excluding, however, such a Business
           Combination pursuant to which (i) all or substantially all of the
           individuals and entities who were the beneficial owners of the
           Outstanding Corporation Voting Securities immediately prior to such
           Business Combination beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more
           than 60% of, respectively, the then outstanding shares of common
           stock and the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting
           securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors,
           as the case may be, of the corporation resulting from such Business
           Combination (including, without limitation, a corporation that as a
           result of such transaction owns the Corporation or all or
           substantially all of the Corporation's assets either directly or
           through one or more subsidiaries) in substantially the same
           proportions as their ownership, immediately prior to such Business
           Combination of the Outstanding Corporation Voting Securities, (ii) no
           Person (excluding any employee benefit plan (or related trust) of the
           Corporation or such corporation resulting from such Business
           Combination) beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 30% or more
           of, respectively, the then outstanding shares of common stock of the
           corporation resulting from such Business Combination or the combined
           voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of such
           corporation except to the extent that such ownership existed prior to
           the Business Combination and (iii) at least a majority of the members
           of the board of directors of the corporation resulting from such
           Business Combination were members of the Incumbent Board at the time
           of the execution of the initial agreement, or of the action of the
           Board of Directors, providing for such Business Combination; or
 
                (d)  The approval by the shareholders of the Corporation of a
           complete liquidation or dissolution of the Corporation.
 
             ii.  "Change of Control Price" means the higher of (i) the highest
        reported sales price, regular way, of a share of Stock in any
        transaction reported on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape or
        other national exchange on which such shares are listed or on NASDAQ
        during the 60-day period prior to and including the date of a Change of
        Control or (ii) if the Change of Control is the
 
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        result of a tender or exchange offer or a Business Combination, the
        highest price per share of Stock paid in such tender or exchange offer
        or Business Combination. To the extent that the consideration paid in
        any such transaction described above consists all or in part of
        securities or other noncash consideration, the value of such securities
        or other noncash consideration shall be determined in the sole
        discretion of the Board of Directors.
 
     3.  The foregoing amendments shall be applicable to all Outstanding Awards
to the same extent as if they were incorporated into the Agreements relating to
such Outstanding Awards, and any provisions of such Agreements with which such
amendments conflict shall be disregarded to the extent necessary to give effect
to such amendments. In addition, the following provision shall be added to each
such Agreement:
 
          Notwithstanding anything else to the contrary contained herein, in the
     event of an event described in Section 8 of the Plan as a result of which
     the shareholders of the Company receive cash for all or a portion of their
     shares, this Award shall be subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 8 of
     the Plan but no portion of such Award shall become exercisable for cash
     unless the Board or the Committee specifically so determines pursuant to
     said Section 8.
 
     4.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, any amendment made by this First
Amendment to the Plan or to any Outstanding Award shall not be effective in
connection with a Change of Control or other corporate transaction that the
Corporation intends to be eligible for pooling-of-interests accounting under APB
No. 16 if and to the extent that giving effect to such amendment would make such
transaction ineligible for such accounting treatment.
 
     5.  The Plan is in all other respects ratified and affirmed without
amendment.
 
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