公司管治指引
介绍
These 公司管治指引 established by the 董事会 provide a structure within which our directors and management can effectively work to benefit the Company, 它的股东和其他支持者. 审计委员会打算将这些准则作为一个灵活的框架，供审计委员会和管理部门在其中开展工作, 而不是作为一套有约束力的法律义务. 这些准则应在所有适用法律的背景下解释, 公司章程文件和其他规范性法律文件和政策. 董事会定期审查这些指导方针, 并可在任何时候由董事会自行决定对其进行修订或修改.
I. 董事资格标准
提名和公司治理委员会为选择董事会新成员制定标准. 董事会作为一个整体应反映一系列的技能, 在公司重要领域的知识和经验. 董事会希望成员多样化, 包括种族问题, 性别, 国籍和种族，专业背景，地域和行业经验. 董事 must be committed to upholding the highest standards of personal and professional integrity and to representing the interests of all shareholders, 不是特定的股东群体. 提名和公司治理委员会对董事的任期没有具体限制, but no director shall commence a term of Board service if the director is over 75 unless the Board has made a determination that the commencement by such director of such term of Board service would be in the best interest of the Company. 根据纽约证券交易所(New York 股票 Exchange)的上市标准，多数董事必须是“独立的”. No director will qualify as “independent” unless the Board affirmatively determines that the director has no material relationship with the Company (either directly or as a partner, 与本公司有关系的组织的股东或管理人员). 在确定董事是否独立时, 董事会将广泛考虑所有相关的事实和情况. 董事 who are determined to be independent as provided above shall be considered "independent directors" for purposes of these guidelines.
II. 董事责任
The overarching responsibility of the directors is to direct the management of the business and affairs of the Company by exercising their business judgment in good faith and acting in what they reasonably believe to be in the best long-term interests of the Company and 它的股东和其他支持者. 董事应提前审阅董事会会议材料, 定期出席董事会会议，并出席公司年度股东大会. 委员会还负责执行某些具体职能, 包括:选择, evaluating and approving the compensation of the officers of the Company and planning for senior management succession; reviewing, approving and monitoring significant corporate actions and strategic plans; reviewing assessments of, 以及解决和缓解的措施, significant risks and issues facing the Company; and ensuring that processes are in place to protect the integrity of the Company, 包括遵守法律和公司的公司治理政策.
3. 董事会委员会
在任何时候, 董事会将设立审计委员会, 薪酬委员会和提名和公司治理委员会. Each committee shall be composed solely of independent directors who meet the standards established by the New York 股票 Exchange for service on the respective committee. 这些委员会的主要职责在各自的章程中有所规定. 董事会可以, 不时地, 设立或维持它认为适当的其他委员会.
IV. 董事与管理层和独立顾问的接触
董事应充分接触公司管理层和员工. 董事会及其各委员会有权与它们认为适当的独立顾问协商.
V. 独立董事执行会议
公司的独立董事应定期在没有管理层参与的定期执行会议上开会. 独立首席董事应主持此类会议.
VI. 董事薪酬
薪酬委员会将就董事薪酬进行审查，并向董事会提出建议. 在一般情况下, compensation will consist of a combination of equity to align the interests of the directors with the long-term interests of the shareholders and cash to compensate the directors for their service.
7. 独立董事
在董事会任职五年之后, the independent directors are expected to own Company common stock with a market value of at least five times the cash base annual director fee. 所有权可以直接或间接持有，也可以包括配偶或子女持有的股份.
8. 高级管理人员持股情况
首席执行官应持有相当于其年薪六倍的公司普通股, 其他高级管理人员预计将持有相当于其年薪三倍的普通股. Individuals subject to this guideline are required to retain 50% of the after-tax number of shares of common stock received as the result of an option exercise, the vesting of restricted shares or the issuance of deferred shares until the requirement is satisfied (it being understood that this retention obligation can be satisfied through the retention of any Company shares held by the individual). 所有权可以直接或间接持有，也可以包括配偶或子女持有的股份.
IX. 高级管理层持股期限
The Chief Executive Officer and the other members of senior management are required to retain 50% of the after-tax number of shares of common stock received as the result of a restriction lapse for a period of two years (it being understood that this retention obligation can be satisfied through the retention of any Company shares held by the individual).
X. 禁止套期保值和质押
董事, 还有高管和其他内部人士, 不得就公司证券进行套期保值交易, 不得将公司证券质押为贷款抵押品或以其他方式使用公司证券担保债务(e).g. 获得保证金贷款).
XI. 董事入职及继续教育
所有新董事应提供入职培训, 包括由高级管理层介绍公司的会计政策, 财务报告, 战略计划和关键问题, 政策和做法. 鼓励董事参加继续教育项目，以更好地履行职责.
十二世. 其他公共董事会董事服务
除非董事会另有批准, 除公司董事会外，董事不得在三个以上的公众公司董事会任职.
十三世. 管理继承
The Compensation Committee shall evaluate at least annually the Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of established goals and objectives and oversee the development of a succession plan for the Chief Executive Officer and other senior management.
十四. 董事会年度绩效评估
联委会将至少每年进行一次自我评价，以确定联委会及其各委员会是否有效运作. 提名和公司治理委员会将监督这种评估，并每年向董事会报告.
XV. 道德行为
董事, 还有官员和员工, 遵守公司商业行为和道德准则所规定的政策.
十六世. 关系人交易
The Board recognizes that transactions involving the Company and related persons present heightened risk of potential or actual conflicts of interest which may interfere – or even appear to interfere – with the interests of the Company. 因此, 提名和公司治理委员会审查所有交易是公司的政策, 在这些交易进入之前, 如果可能的话, with related persons required to be reported by the Company under the applicable rules and regulations governing related person transactions promulgated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, 并在适当情况下批准或批准此类交易.
第十七章. 与董事沟通
分享holders and other interested parties may communicate with the Board by writing to the 独立首席董事 at the Company’s address. The 独立首席董事 shall forward such communications to all directors if they relate to substantive matters and include information, 独立首席董事提出的建议或意见, 在公司秘书的协助下, 认为适宜由全体董事会审议.
十八. 股东权益计划政策
The Company will submit the adoption of any shareholder rights plan to a shareholder vote before it acts to adopt a rights plan; provided, 然而, that the Board may act on its own to adopt a shareholder rights plan without first submitting such action to a shareholder vote if the Board, 包括多数独立董事, 在履行其受托义务时, determines that such submission would not be in the best interest of the Company and 它的股东和其他支持者 under the circumstances then existing.
未经股东投票通过股东权利方案的, 董事会须, 在通过后的12个月内, 要么将股东权利计划提交股东投票表决，要么赎回股东权利计划或使其到期.
第十九. 有关董事在无竞争选举中未能获得过半数选票的董事选举程序
关于股东大会上董事的无争议选举, 现任董事未获得过半数投票支持时，必须立即提出辞职, and a newly nominated director who receives the support of less than a majority of the votes cast will be deemed to have automatically resigned, 须遵守附例所载的程序及进一步详情.
XX. 独立首席董事
董事会设一名独立董事，由董事会独立董事指定为独立首席董事. 除非董事会另有决定, 独立首席董事还应担任提名和公司治理委员会主席. 独立首席董事的职责如下:
- 在董事会主席缺席时主持董事会的所有会议;
- 主持董事会独立董事的所有执行会议;
- 担任董事会主席与董事会独立董事之间的联络人;
- Providing the Chairman of the Board with input on and approving the agendas and schedules for meetings of the Board and its committees;
- 就质量问题向董事会主席提供意见, quantity and timeliness of the flow of information from senior management that is necessary for the independent directors to effectively and responsibly perform their duties, including specifically requesting the inclusion of certain information in the materials provided for the Board by senior management when appropriate;
- 在适当情况下召集董事会独立董事的执行会议;
- 就其他董事关心的问题与首席执行官进行协商;
- 就高级管理人员关心的问题与高级管理人员进行协商;
- 在适当的时候可以与股东和其他利益相关方进行磋商和直接沟通;
- 面试董事候选人，并向提名和公司治理委员会及董事会提出建议;
- Leading the Board's evaluation of the Chairman of the Board; and
- 在委员会的年度自我评估中发挥主导作用.