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effect or commence any liquidation, dissolution, scheme of arrangement, merger, consolidation, amalgamation, restructuring, reorganization, or similar transaction involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or create any new subsidiary, other than Transactions;
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acquire any assets, securities or properties, in any single transaction or related series of transactions, for consideration in excess of US$2,000,000, except for acquisitions in the ordinary course of business or pursuant to existing contracts;
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make any capital contribution or investment in any corporation, partnership, other business organization or any division thereof in excess of US$2,000,000 in any single transaction or related series of transactions other than in the ordinary course of business;
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incur, assume, alter, amend or modify any indebtedness, or guarantee any indebtedness, in each case, with an amount in excess of US$2,000,000 in a single transaction or related series of transactions, subject to certain exceptions;
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make any changes with respect to financial accounting policies or procedures in any material respect, including changes affecting the reported consolidated assets, liabilities or results of operations of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, except as required by changes in statutory or regulatory accounting rules or GAAP or regulatory requirements with respect thereto;
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settle any pending or threatened action of or against the Company or any of its subsidiaries (A) for an amount in excess of US$1,000,000 for any single action, (B) that would impose any material restrictions on the business or operations of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or (C) that is brought by or on behalf of any current, former or purported holder of any share capital or debt securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to Transactions, except for, in each case, any actions occurring in the ordinary course of business;
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make or change any material tax election, amend any material tax Return, enter into any closing agreement or seek any ruling from any governmental authority with respect to material taxes, or make any material change in any method of tax accounting or tax accounting period;
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authorize or make any capital expenditures which are, in the aggregate, in excess of US$2,000,000, other than as set forth in the annual budget of the Company duly approved by the Board;
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(x) enter into any contract that would have been a material contract if it had been in effect as of the date of the Merger Agreement or (y) modify or amend in any material respect, terminate, or waive, release, compromise or assign any rights or claims under, any material contract in each case not in the ordinary course of business, other than (A) any termination or renewal in accordance with the terms of any existing material contract that occur automatically without any action by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (B) as may be reasonably necessary to comply with the terms of the Merger Agreement, or (C) as required or contemplated by the terms of any material contract in effect as of the date of the Merger Agreement in accordance with its terms as of the date of the Merger Agreement;
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subject to certain exceptions, (A) increase the compensation or benefits of any of its directors, officers, employees, contractors, consultants, or service providers (except (x) base salary or wage increases for employees in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices, or (y) increases that would not in the aggregate cause an increase in the labor costs of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, by more than 10% compared with the labor costs of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, as of the date of the Merger Agreement), (B) make, announce or grant any incentive compensation (including equity-based incentive compensation) bonus, change in control, retention, severance, termination pay or other similar arrangement to any current or former directors, officers, employees, contractors, consultants, or service providers (other than in connection with an ordinary course hiring of employees), (C) establish, adopt, enter into, materially amend or terminate any Company Employee Plan (as defined under the Merger Agreement), (D) loan or advance any money or any other property to any present or former director, officer, employee, contractor, consultant, or service provider of the Company or any subsidiary, (E) hire (other than in connection with an ordinary course replacement hiring for employees whose annual compensation is less than US$250,000) or terminate (other than for cause) any employee, contractor, consultant or