Purpose of Committee
The purpose of the Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of RF Monolithics, Inc. (the “Company”) is to discharge the Committee’s responsibilities relating to compensation of the Company’s executives and to produce an annual report on executive compensation for inclusion in the Company’s proxy statement, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
Committee Membership
Except as provided below and permitted by Nasdaq rule 4350(c)(3), the Committee shall consist solely of “independent directors,” i.e., those directors who neither are officers or employees of the Company or its subsidiaries nor have a relationship which, in the opinion of the Board, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director, and who are otherwise “independent” under the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc.
Members shall be appointed by the Board based on nominations by a majority of the Company’s independent directors, and shall serve at the pleasure of the Board and for such term or terms as the Board may determine. Members shall have experience in evaluating executive performance and setting compensation of executives.
If the Committee is comprised of at least three members, one director who is not independent and is not a current officer or employee, or a person who is a relative by blood, marriage or adoption of, or who has the same residence as any current officer or employee, may be appointed to the Committee if the Board, under exceptional and limited circumstances, determines that such individual’s membership on the Committee is required by the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, and the Board discloses, in the next annual meeting proxy statement subsequent to such determination, the nature of the relationship, and the reasons for the determination. Any such member appointed to the Committee may only serve for up to two years.
Committee Structure and Operations
The Board shall designate one member of the Committee as its chairperson. In the event of a tie vote on any issue, the chairperson’s vote shall decide the issue. The Committee shall meet in person or telephonically at least twice a year, and perhaps more frequently, in conjunction with regularly scheduled meetings of the Board at regularly scheduled times and places determined by the Committee chairperson, with further meetings to occur, or actions to be taken by unanimous written consent, when deemed necessary or desirable by the Committee or its chairperson.
The Committee may, to the extent consistent with the maintenance of the confidentiality of compensation discussions, invite the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) to participate in meetings of the Committee, but if present during any deliberations of the Committee, the CEO may not vote. The CEO may not be present during any discussions and deliberations of the Committee regarding the CEO’s compensation.
Committee Duties and Responsibilities
The following are the duties and responsibilities of the Committee:
- In consultation with senior management, to establish the Company’s general compensation philosophy, and to oversee the development and implementation of compensation programs.
- To review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of the CEO, to evaluate the performance of the CEO in light of those goals and objectives, and to have the sole authority to determine the CEO’s compensation level based on this evaluation. In determining the long-term incentive component of CEO compensation, the Committee shall consider, among other factors, the Company’s performance and relative stockholder return and the value of similar incentive awards to CEOs at comparable companies, the awards given to the CEO in past years.
- To review and approve the compensation of all other “officers” of the Company (as defined in Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and Rule 16a-1 promulgated thereunder (the “Section 16 Officers”)).
- To make recommendations to the Board with respect to the Company’s incentive compensation plans and equity-based plans, to oversee the activities of the individuals and committees responsible for administering these plans, and to discharge any responsibilities imposed on the Committee by any of these plans.
- To approve issuances under, or any material amendment of, any tax qualified, non-discriminatory employee benefit plan or parallel nonqualified plan pursuant to which a director, officer, employee or consultant will acquire stock or options, including without limitation the Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
- To approve issuances under, or any material amendment of, any stock option or other similar plan pursuant to which a person not previously an employee or director of the Company, as an inducement material to the individual’s entering into employment with the Company, will acquire stock or options.
- In consultation with management, to oversee regulatory compliance with respect to compensation matters, including overseeing the Company’s policies on structuring compensation programs to preserve tax deductibility, and, as and when required, establishing performance goals and certifying that performance goals have been attained for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code.
- To review and approve any severance or similar termination payments proposed to be made to any current or former Section 16 Officer.
- To perform any other duties or responsibilities expressly delegated to the Committee by the Board from time to time relating to the Company’s compensation programs.
Delegation to Subcommittee
The Committee may, in its discretion, delegate all or a portion of its duties and responsibilities to a subcommittee of the Committee consisting of one or more members. In particular, the Committee may delegate the approval of certain transactions to a subcommittee consisting solely of members of the Committee who are (i) “Non-Employee Directors” for the purposes of Rule 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as in effect from time to time, and (ii) “outside directors” for the purposes of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, as in effect from time to time.
Committee Reports
The Committee shall produce the following reports and provide them to the Board.
- An annual Compensation Committee Report for inclusion in the Company’s annual proxy statement in accordance with applicable SEC rules and regulations.
- A summary of the actions taken at each Committee meeting, which shall be presented to the Board at the next Board meeting.
Resources and Authority of the Committee
The Committee shall have the resources and authority appropriate to discharge its duties and responsibilities, including the authority to select, retain, terminate, and approve the fees and other retention terms of special counsel or other experts or consultants, as it deems appropriate, without seeking approval of the Board or management. With respect to compensation consultants retained to assist in the evaluation of director, CEO or executive officer compensation, this authority shall be vested solely in the Committee.