NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS
CORPORATION
(THE COMPANY)
LONG-TERM INCENTIVE
PROGRAM
(as amended October 22,
2008)
SECTION 1
DURATION AND
PURPOSE
1.1
Effective Date . The Program is effective as of
January 1, 2004, shall remain in effect through December 31, 2008
(the Performance Period).
1.2
Purpose . The Program is intended to increase
shareholder value and the success of the Company by providing
incentive and reward for accomplishment of long-term, revenue
growth and operating profit goals for key
executives. The Program’s goals are to be achieved
by providing such executives with incentive awards based on the
achievement of goals relating to the performance of the
Company. The Plan is intended to permit the payment of
bonuses that qualify as performance-based compensation under
section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended.
SECTION 2
ELIGIBILITY, SELECTION AND
PROCEDURE
2.1
Eligibility . Officers and Business and Technology
Fellows, (whether employed at the time of or subsequent to the
adoption of the Program) are eligible for participation in the
Program. Typically, to be eligible, employees should
have been an Officer or Fellow for a minimum of 1-2 years and be in
good standing with the Company. Eligibility does not
guarantee participation and the Company may exclude eligible
officers and fellows from participation in this Program.
2.2
Selection of Participants . From time to time, the
President may designate eligible employees for participation in the
Program; subject to the approval by the Compensation Committee of
the Company (the Committee), in its sole
discretion. Designees approved by the Committee
(Participants) will normally be added to the Program at the start
of the Company’s fiscal year.
2.3.
Bonus Procedure . Subject to section 2.5, incentive
bonuses under this Program are defined as a percentage of a
Participant’s annualized salary on the effective date of the
Participant’s participation in the Program (Base Salary)
based upon the compound annual revenue growth rate (CAGR) and
average operating profit (Operating Profit) of the Company during
the Performance Period. Any incentive bonus is based
upon the fundamental assumption that:
20% CAGR, 18%
Operating Profit over 5 years = 1.0X Base Salary
30% CAGR, 18%
Operating Profit over 5 years = 2.0X Base Salary
40% CAGR, 18%
Operating Profit over 5 years = 3.0X Base Salary
Attached and
incorporated herein is a growth/ operating profit matrix outlining
the percentage of Base Salary awarded for key CAGR and Operating
Profit percentages of the Performance Period. If the
final CAGR and/or Operating Profit percentage is not specifically
listed on the attached matrix, the Base Salary percentage will be
determined by a mathematical calculation based upon the
relationship of the final percentage to its nearest listed
percentages. No bonus will be paid out under this
Program if either the CAGR or Operating Profit of the Performance
Period is less than 10%.
2.4
Determination of Growth/ Operating Profits . As soon
as practicable following the Performance Period, the Committee will
compile the CAGR and Operating Profit for the Performance
Period. Generally, the CAGR and Operating Profit for the
Performance Period will be determined according to Generally
Acceptable Accounting Principals (GAAP). However, the
Committee, in its sole discretion, may make adjustments to the CAGR
and Operating Profit calculation, as it deems
appropriate. Specifically, and by way of example only,
the Committee may exclude patent litigation or other extraordinary
charges when determining Operating Profit. Additionally,
in determining CAGR, the Committee (in consultation with the
President) will evaluate the inclusion of incremental revenue
growth during the Performance Period attributable to acquisitions
or mergers on a case by case basis to determine the amount to be
included/excluded in “revenue” for