10-K/A
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 10-K/A
(Amendment No. 1)
(Mark One)
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ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the Fiscal Year ended March 31, 2008
OR
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number: 001-07731
EMERSON RADIO CORP.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Delaware
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22-3285224 |
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(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
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(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
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Nine Entin Road, Parsippany, NJ
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07054 |
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(Address of principal executive offices)
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(Zip Code) |
Registrants telephone number, including area code: (973) 884-5800
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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Title of each class
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Name of each exchange on which registered |
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Common Stock, par value $.01 per share
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American Stock Exchange |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of
the Securities Act. o YES þ NO.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or
Section 15(d) of the Act). o YES þ NO.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by
Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for
such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject
to such filing requirement for the past 90 days. þ YES o NO.
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is
not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrants knowledge, in
definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K
or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a
non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of larger accelerated
filer, accelerated filer and smaller reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
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o Large accelerated filer
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o Accelerated filer
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o Non-accelerated filer
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þ Smaller reporting company
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(Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the
Act). o YES þ NO.
Aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity of the registrant held by
non-affiliates of the registrant at September 28, 2007 (computed by reference to the last reported
sale price of the Common Stock on the American Stock Exchange on such date): $24,680,603
Number of Common Shares outstanding at July 21, 2008: 27,129,832
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:
None
EXPLANATORY NOTE
This Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A (the Form 10/KA) to the Annual Report on Form 10-K (the
Annual Report) of Emerson Radio Corp. (the Company) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008,
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on July 11, 2008, is filed solely for
the purpose of including information that was to be incorporated by reference from the Companys
definitive proxy statement pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The
Company will not file its proxy statement for its annual meeting of stockholders within 120 days of
its fiscal year ended March 31, 2008 and is therefore, amending and restating in their entirety
Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III of the Annual Report. In addition, pursuant to Rule
13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Company is including with this Form 10-K/A
certain currently dated certifications. Except as described above, no other amendments are being
made to the Annual Report. This Form 10-K/A does not reflect events occurring after the filing of
the Annual Report on July 11, 2008 or modify or update the disclosure contained in the Annual
Report in any way other than as required to reflect the amendments discussed above and reflected
below.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(i)
PART III
ITEM 10 DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Directors
The following table sets forth certain information regarding the current directors of
Emerson Radio Corp. (Emerson, us or the Company).
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Year First |
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Became |
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Name |
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Director |
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Principal Occupation or Employment |
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Christopher Ho
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58 |
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2006 |
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Christopher Ho has served as our
Chairman since July 2006. Mr. Ho
is presently the Chairman of The
Grande Holdings Ltd. (Grande
Holdings), a Hong Kong based
group of companies engaged in a
number of businesses including
the manufacture, sale and
distribution of audio, video and
other consumer electronics and
video products. Grande Holdings
beneficially holds approximately
57.6% of our outstanding common
shares. Mr. Ho also currently
serves as Chairman of Lafe
Corporation Limited, a company
listed on the Singapare Exchange,
and a representative director of
Sanusi Electric Co., Ltd., a
company listed on the Tokyo Stock
Exchange. Christopher Ho
graduated with a Bachelor of
Commerce degree from the
University of Toronto in 1974.
He is a member of the Canadian
Institute of Chartered
Accountants as well as a member
of the Institute of Management
Accountants of Canada. He also is
a certified public accountant
(Hong Kong) and a member of the
Hong Kong Society of Accountants.
He was a partner in international
accounting firms before joining
Grande Holdings and has extensive
experience in corporate finance,
international trade and
manufacturing. |
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Adrian Ma (1)
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63 |
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2006 |
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Adrian Ma, a director of the
Company since March 30, 2006, has
been our Chief Executive Officer
since March 30, 2006 and also
served as our Chairman from March
30, 2006 through July 26, 2006.
In addition, Mr. Ma is a director
of Grande Holdings. He has more
than 30 years experience as an
Executive Chairman, Executive
Director and Managing Director of
various organizations focused
primarily in the consumer
electronics industry. Mr. Ma also
is Director of Lafe Technology
Ltd., Vice Chairman and Managing
Director of Ross Group Inc. and
Deputy Chairman of Sansui
Electric Co. Ltd. |
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Greenfield Pitts
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58 |
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2006 |
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Greenfield Pitts has served as
our Chief Financial Officer since
February 2007 and a director
since March 2006. Mr. Pitts has a
30-year background in
international banking and was
associated with Wachovia Bank,
our present lender, for more than
25 years, with assignments in
London, Atlanta and Hong Kong.
From 1997 to 2006, he was in Hong
Kong managing a joint venture
between Wachovia and HSBC, later
worked in Corporate Finance for
Wachovia Securities. |
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Year First |
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Became |
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Director |
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Principal Occupation or Employment |
Michael A.B. Binney
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49 |
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2005 |
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Michael A.B. Binney has been a
Director since December 2005.
Mr. Binney served as our Acting
Group Controller from
February 2007 until May 2008 and
as our President-International
Sales from July 2006 until May
2008. He is a fellow member of
the Institute of Chartered
Accountants in England and Wales
and a fellow member of the Hong
Kong Institute of Certified
Public Accountants. He was a
professional accountant for
several years before joining the
computer and electronics
industry. He also currently is a
Director of Grande Holdings, a
Director of Lafe Corporation
Limited, a company listed on the
Singapore Exchange, as well as a
Director of several other
companies in Malaysia, Japan,
Singapore and the United Kingdom. |
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Mirzan Mahathir
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50 |
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2007 |
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Mirzan Mahathir has been a
Director since 2007. Mr.
Mahathir currently manages his
investments in Malaysia and
overseas while facilitating
business collaboration in the
region. Previously, Mr. Mahathir
worked for IBM Corporation and
Salomon Brothers. Since 1992, Mr.
Mahathir has served as the
Executive Chairman and President
of Konsortium Logistik Berhad, a
Malaysian logistic solutions
provider listed on the Kuala
Lumpar Stock Exchange. He also
is the Chairman and CEO of
Crescent Capital Sdn Bhd, a
Malaysian investment holding and
independent strategic and
financial advisory firm which he
founded and the President of the
Asian Strategy and Leadership
Institute (ASLI), a leading
organizer of business
conferences, secretariat for
business councils and public
policy research centre.
Currently, Mr. Mahathir holds
directorships in Worldwide
Holdings Berhad and AHB Holdings
Berhad, companies listed on the
Bursa Malaysia, and Lafe
Technology Ltd., a company listed
on the Singapore Exchange. He is
also a member of the UN/ESCAP
Business Advisory Council, the
American Bureau of Shipping
Southeast Asia Committee and the
Wharton Business School Asian
Executive Board. |
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Kareem E. Sethi
(1)(2)
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30 |
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2007 |
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Kareem E. Sethi has been a
Director since 2007. Mr. Sethi
has served as Managing Director
of Streetwise Capital Partners,
Inc. since 2003. From 1999 until
2003, Mr. Sethi was Manager,
Business Recovery Services for
PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. |
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Year First |
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Became |
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Director |
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Principal Occupation or Employment |
Eduard Will
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66 |
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2006 |
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Eduard Will has been our Vice
Chairman since October 2007 and a
Director since July 2006. From
July 2006 until October 2007,
Mr. Will served as our President-
North American Operations. Prior
to becoming President- North
American Operations, Mr. Will was
the Chairman of our Audit
Committee from January 2006
through July 2006. Mr. Will has
more than 37 years experience as
a merchant banker, senior advisor
and director of various public
and private companies. Presently,
Mr. Will is serving on the Board
of Directors or acting as Senior
Adviser to Grande Holdings,
KoolConnect Technologies Inc. and
Integrated Data Corporation. |
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Member of the Corporate Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee
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Member of the Audit Committee |
Board of Directors and Committees
At the beginning of our fiscal year ended March 31, 2008 (Fiscal 2008), our Board of
Directors consisted of Christopher Ho, Adrian Ma, Greenfield Pitts, Peter Bünger, W. Michael
Driscoll, Jerome H. Farnum, Eduard Will and Norbert R. Wirsching. On October 25, 2007, Mr. Bünger
resigned as a director, effective as of the date of our annual meeting of stockholders that was
held on December 13, 2007 (the 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders) and advised us that he would
not stand for reelection as a director at such meeting. Mr. Büngers reasons for such actions were
outlined in a letter submitted by him to our Board of Directors, a copy of which letter was filed
as an exhibit to our current report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
or the SEC, on October 31, 2007. Mr. Farnum elected not to stand for reelection to our Board of
Directors at our 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. At our 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders,
we added three directors to our Board of Directors, Mirzan Mahathir, Kareem E. Sethi and David R.
Peterson. In July 2008, Messrs. Driscoll, Peterson and Wirsching resigned as directors. The
reasons for Mr. Driscolls resignation were outlined in a letter submitted by him to our Board of
Directors, a copy of which letter was filed as an exhibit to our current report on Form 8-K filed
with the SEC on July 18, 2008, and the reasons for Mr. Wirschings resignation were outlined in a
letter submitted by him to our Board of Directors, a copy of which letter was filed as an exhibit
to our current report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 29, 2008. Our Board of Directors
presently consists of seven directors Messrs. Ho, Ma, Pitts, Binney, Mahathir, Sethi and Will.
Two of our seven current directors, Messrs. Mahathir and Sethi meet the definition of independence
as established by the American Stock Exchange and SEC rules.
Under Section 803(B)(2)(A) of the American Stock Exchange Company Guide (the Company Guide),
we are required to have an audit committee of at least two independent members, as defined by the
listing standards of the American Stock Exchange. During Fiscal 2008, our Audit Committee, which
is a separately-designated standing audit committee established in accordance with Section
3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act, was comprised of three
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independent directors and presently is comprised of one independent director, Mr. Sethi.
During Fiscal 2008 and through the date of his resignation on July 14, 2008, W. Michael Driscoll
served as the Chairman, the audit committee financial expert and an independent director of the
Audit Committee. During Fiscal 2008 and through the date of his resignation on July 28, 2008,
Norbert R. Wirsching served as an independent director of the Audit Committee. During Fiscal 2008
and through December 13, 2007, Mr. Farnum served as an independent director of the Audit Committee.
Mr. Sethi began to serve as an independent director of the Audit Committee on December 13, 2007.
Since Mr. Driscolls resignation on July 14, 2008, our Board of Directors has not formally
designated an audit committee financial expert to serve on our Audit Committee.
On July 29, 2008, we notified the American Stock Exchange that as a result of Mr. Wirschings
resignation and the resulting vacancy on the Audit Committee, the Audit Committee consists of one
independent director, and not two independent directors as required by Section 803(B)(2) of the
Company Guide. As a result, we are not in compliance with Section 803(B)(2) of the Company Guide.
In accordance with Section 803(B)(6) of the Company Guide, we must regain compliance with the audit
committee requirements set forth in the Section 803(B)(2) of the Company Guide by the earlier of
our next annual shareholder meeting and July 28, 2009; provided, however, that if the annual
shareholder meeting occurs prior to October 11, 2008, we shall instead have until October 11, 2008
to regain compliance. Our Board of Directors is considering candidates who will qualify to serve
on our Audit Committee.
The Audit Committee is empowered by the Board of Directors, among other things, to: (i) serve
as an independent and objective party to monitor our financial reporting process, internal control
system and disclosure control system; (ii) review and appraise the audit efforts of our independent
accountants; (iii) assume direct responsibility for the appointment, compensation, retention and
oversight of the work of the outside auditors and for the resolution of disputes between the
outside auditors and our management regarding financial reporting issues; and (iv) provide the
opportunity for direct communication among the independent accountants, financial and senior
management and the Board of Directors. A
copy of our Audit Committee Charter is posted on our website: www.emersonradio.com on the Investor
Relations page.
Codes of Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers (Code of Ethics) that applies
to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, Controller and
Treasurer. This Code of Ethics was established with the intention of focusing Senior Financial
Officers on areas of ethical risk, providing guidance to help them recognize and deal with ethical
issues, providing mechanisms to report unethical conduct, fostering a culture of honesty and
accountability, deterring wrongdoing and promoting fair and accurate disclosure and financial
reporting.
We also have adopted a Code of Conduct for Officers, Directors and Employees of Emerson Radio
Corp. and Its Subsidiaries (Code of Conduct). We prepared this Code of Conduct to help all
officers, directors and employees understand and comply with our policies and procedures. Overall,
the purpose of our Code of Conduct is to deter wrongdoing and promote (i) honest and ethical
conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between
personal and professional relationships; (ii) full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable
disclosure in reports and documents that we file with, or submit to, the SEC and in other public
communications made by us; (iii) compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and
regulations; (iv) prompt internal reporting of code violations to an appropriate person or persons
identified in this Code of Conduct; and (v) accountability for adherence to the Code of Conduct.
The Code of Ethics and the Code of Conduct are posted on our website:
www.emersonradio.com on the Investor Relations page. If we make any substantive amendments
to, or grant any waiver (including any implicit waiver) from a provision of the Code of Ethics or
the Code of Conduct, and that relates to any element of the Code of Ethics definition enumerated in
Item 406 (b) of Regulation S-K, we will disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on our
website or in a current report on Form 8-K.
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Executive Officers
The following table sets forth certain information regarding the current executive officers
of Emerson:
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Became Officer |
Adrian Ma |
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Chief Executive Officer and Director |
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2006 |
Greenfield Pitts |
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Chief Financial Officer and Director |
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2007 |
John Spielberger |
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President-North American Operations |
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2007 |
Adrian Ma has served as our Chief Executive Officer since March 30, 2006 and served as our
Chairman of the Board of Directors from March 30, 2006 through July 26, 2006. Mr. Ma continues to
serve as a director. See Mr. Mas biographical information above.
Greenfield Pitts has served as our Chief Financial Officer since February 2007 and a director
since March 2006. See Mr. Pitts biographical information above.
John Spielberger has served as our President-North American Operations since October 2007.
From 1995 until 2007, Mr. Spielberger held a variety of positions with Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Sales Co., an entertainment software sales and marketing distribution company. Mr. Spielberger
held the positions of Senior Vice PresidentBusiness Operations and Customer Relations Management
from 2004 until 2007, Senior Vice PresidentFinance and Administration from 2003 to 2004, Senior
Vice PresidentFinance from 2000 until 2003 and Vice PresidentFinance from 1995 until 2000. Prior
to his tenure with Sony BMG Music Entertainment Sales Co., Mr. Spielberger served as Senior
DirectorFinance and Administration of Columbia Records Group, a recording company, and held
several positions with RCA Records Label, a music company. Mr. Spielberger holds a Bachelor of
Science degree in Business Management and Marketing from Cornell University and a Masters of
Business Administration from the University of Michigan.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act),
requires our directors, officers, and stockholders who beneficially own more than 10% of any class
of our equity securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, to file initial
reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership with respect to our equity securities with
the Securities and Exchange Commission and the American Stock Exchange. All reporting persons are
required to furnish us with copies of all reports that such reporting persons file with the
Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act.
Based solely upon a review of Forms 3 and 4 and amendments to these forms furnished to the
Company, all parties subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) filed all such required
reports during and with respect to Fiscal 2008, except that Grande Holdings, Ltd., a beneficial
owner of more than 10% of our outstanding shares of our common stock, filed a Form 4 with respect
to one transaction pursuant to which it purchased shares of our common stock four business days
following the date such Form 4 was due, and Mr. Wirsching filed a Form 4 with respect to three
transactions pursuant to which he purchased shares of our common stock two business days following
the date such Form 4 was due.
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ITEM 11 EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND OTHER INFORMATION
This discussion presents the principles underlying our executive officer compensation program.
Our goal in this discussion is to provide the reasons why we award compensation as we do and to
place in perspective the data presented in the tables that follow this discussion. The focus is
primarily on compensation of our executive officers for Fiscal 2008, but some historical and
forward-looking information is also provided to put such years compensation information in
context. The information presented herein relates to Adrian Ma, our Chief Executive Officer,
Greenfield Pitts, our Chief Financial Officer, John Spielberger, our President North American
Operations, and our two other most highly compensated executive officers who served during Fiscal
2008, who are sometimes referred to herein as our named executive officers, although Mr. Ma did
not receive any salary or other compensation from us in Fiscal 2008. Messrs. Raab and Will retired
or resigned from their positions as executive officers of our company in August 2007 and December
2007, respectively.
Compensation Philosophy and Objectives
We attempt to apply a consistent philosophy to compensation for all employees, including
senior management. This philosophy is based on the premises that our success is dependent upon the
efforts of each employee and that a cooperative, team-oriented environment is an essential part of
our culture.
Our compensation programs for our named executive officers are designed to achieve a variety
of goals, including:
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attracting and retaining talented and experienced executives; |
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motivating and rewarding executives whose knowledge, skills and performance are
critical to our success; |
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aligning the interests of our executives and stockholders by motivating
executives to increase stockholder value in a sustained manner; and |
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provide a competitive compensation package which rewards achievement of our goals. |
Elements of Executive Officer Compensation
Overview. Total compensation paid to our named executive officers is influenced significantly
by the need to attract and retain management employees with a high level of expertise and to
motivate and retain key executives for our long-term success. Some of the components of
compensation, such as salary, are generally fixed and do not vary based on our financial and other
performance. Some components, such as bonus, stock options and stock award grants, if any, are
discretionary and are dependent upon the achievement of certain goals jointly agreed upon by our
management and our Board of Directors. Furthermore, the value of certain of these components, such
as stock options and stock awards, is dependent upon our future stock price. Our Board of
Directors has indicated that it currently does not intend to grant new stock awards to our
executive officer and employees. However, the Board of Directors does intend to grant stock awards
to non-employee directors and may in the future change its current policy with respect to stock
awards to executive officers and employees.
We compensate our named executive officers in these different ways in order to achieve
different goals. Cash compensation, for example, provides executive officers a minimum base
salary. Incentive bonus compensation is generally linked to the achievement of financial and
business goals, and is intended to reward executive officers for our overall performance in
reaching annual goals that would be agreed to by management and the Board of Directors. Although
we may utilize, stock options and grants of restricted stock in the future, we did not grant any
stock options or restricted stock to our executive officers during Fiscal 2008. See Cash and
Other Compensation.
We view the three components of our named executive officer compensation as related but
distinct. We do not believe that compensation derived from one component of compensation
necessarily should negate or reduce compensation from other components. We determine the
appropriate level for each compensation component based
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in part, but not exclusively, on its historical practices with the individual and our view of
individual performance and other information we deem relevant. Our Board of Directors has not
engaged an outside consultant to assist the Board in the compensation process. Our management does
review publicly available data with respect to executive compensation at peer group companies. The
Board of Directors realizes that benchmarking our compensation against the compensation earned at
comparable companies may not always be appropriate, but believes that engaging in a comparative
analysis of compensation practices is useful. The Board of Directors has not adopted any formal
policies or guidelines for allocating compensation between long-term and currently paid out
compensation, between cash and non-cash compensation, or among different forms of compensation. We
have not reviewed wealth and retirement accumulation as a result of employment with us, and have
only focused on compensation for the year in question.
Base Salary. We pay our current named executive officers other than Mr. Ma a base salary,
which we review and determine annually, and currently are considering paying Mr. Ma a base salary
for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009. We believe that a competitive base salary is a
necessary element of any compensation program. We believe that attractive base salaries can
motivate and reward executives for their overall performance. Base salaries are established in part
based on the individual position, responsibility, experience, skills and expected contributions
during the coming year of the executive and their performance during the prior year. We also have
sought to align base compensation levels comparable to our competitors and other companies in
similar stages of development. We do not view base salaries as primarily serving our objective of
paying for performance, but in attracting and retaining the most qualified executives necessary to
run our business.
Cash Incentive Bonuses. Consistent with our emphasis on pay-for-performance incentive
compensation programs, our named executive officers are eligible to receive annual performance
bonuses or discretionary bonuses that must be approved by our Board of Directors. The primary
objective of our annual cash incentive bonuses is to motivate and reward our employees, including
our named executive officers, for meeting our short-term objectives using a pay-for-performance
program with objectively determinable performance goals. Our Corporate Governance, Nominating and
Compensation Committee considered and slightly modified proposals for bonuses to be paid for Fiscal
2008 provided to it by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. We expect that bonuses to be paid
for Fiscal 2008 will be finalized and approved by our Board of Directors in the near future. We do
not have a formal policy on the effect on bonuses of a subsequent restatement or other adjustment
to the financial statements, other than the penalties provided by law.
Equity Compensation. We review our equity compensation plans annually. Under our plans,
employees are eligible for annual stock option and restricted stock award grants based on targeted
levels and we have in the past granted stock options to our executive officers and employees.
These options and grants are intended to produce value for each executive officer if (i) our
stockholders derive significant sustained value; and (ii) the executive officer remains with us.
We do not have any program, plan or obligation that requires us to grant equity compensation to any
executive officer on specified dates. The authority to make equity grants to executive officers
rests with the Board of Directors, although, as noted above, the Board of Directors does not
currently intend to grant any new stock awards to our executive officers or employees. We did not
grant any stock options or restricted stock awards during Fiscal 2008. See Cash and Other
Compensation.
Severance and Change-in-Control Benefits.
We do not provide to any of our named executive officers any severance or change in control
benefits in the event of termination or retirement, whether following a change-in-control or
otherwise.
Employment Agreements.
During Fiscal 2008, we had employment agreements with certain of our named executive officers,
each of which is described below.
Greenfield Pitts, our Chief Financial Officer, entered into an employment agreement with us on
April 3, 2007, which provides that Mr. Pitts shall serve as our Chief Financial Officer through
March 31, 2008. John Spielberger, our President-North American Operations, entered into an
employment agreement with us on October 15, 2007, which provides that Mr. Spielberger shall serve
as our President-North American Operations from
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October 29, 2007 through October 31, 2008. During the initial term of each employment
agreement, we have the right to terminate the agreement upon 90 days prior written notice, and the
named executive officer has the right to terminate the agreement upon 30 days prior written notice.
Each agreement provides for an annual base salary of $250,000 and a discretionary bonus at the end
of our fiscal year as recommended by the Board of Directors.
We were a party to a series of employment contracts, the last of which expired on August 31,
2007, with John J. Raab, our former Chief Operating Officer and Senior Executive Vice President.
In addition, we were a party to an employment contract with Eduard Will, who served as our
President North American Operations from July 2006 until his resignation from such position in
October 2007. Compensation paid to each of Messrs. Raab and Will during Fiscal 2008 and the fiscal
year ended March 31, 2007 (Fiscal 2007) is set forth below in this Item 11.
Benefits. The named executive officers participate in all of our employee benefit plans, such
as medical and 401(k) plan, on the same basis as our other employees.
Perquisites. Our use of perquisites as an element of compensation is very limited. We do not
view perquisites as a significant element of our comprehensive compensation structure.
The Process
Employment terms, including compensation, typically have been proposed to the Board of
Directors by our Chairman and our Chief Executive Officer, and then considered and approved by the
Board of Directors. We expect that, the charter for our recently established Corporate Governance,
Nominating and Compensation Committee will provide that employment terms, including compensation,
will be proposed to such committee by our Chairman and our Chief Executive Officer, and then
considered and recommended for approval by the Board of Directors. For decisions regarding the
grant of bonuses to named executive officers (other than our Chairman and our Chief Executive
Officer) for Fiscal 2008, the Corporate Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee has
considered the recommendations of our Chairman and our Chief Executive Officer and included them in
their discussions.
Regulatory Considerations
We account for the equity compensation expense for our employees under the rules of SFAS
123(R), which requires us to estimate and record an expense for each award of equity compensation
over the service period of the award. Accounting rules also require us to record cash compensation
as an expense at the time the obligation is accrued.
Cash and Other Compensation
The following table, which should be read in conjunction with the explanations provided
above, provides certain compensation information concerning our named executive officers for Fiscal
2008 and Fiscal 2007.
Summary Compensation Table
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-equity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incentive Plan |
|
All Other |
|
|
Name and |
|
Fiscal |
|
|
|
|
|
Option |
|
Compensation |
|
Compensation |
|
|
Principal Position |
|
Year |
|
Salary($) |
|
Awards($)(1) |
|
($)(2) |
|
($)(3) |
|
Total ($) |
Adrian Ma (4) |
|
|
2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
President and |
|
|
2007 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greenfield Pitts (5) |
|
|
2008 |
|
|
|
250,000 |
|
|
|
9,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22,841 |
| ,
|
|
282,341 |
|
Chief Financial Officer |
|
|
2007 |
|
|
|
19,231 |
|
|
|
3,430 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22,661 |
|
-8-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-equity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incentive Plan |
|
All Other |
|
|
Name and |
|
Fiscal |
|
|
|
|
|
Option |
|
Compensation |
|
Compensation |
|
|
Principal Position |
|
Year |
|
Salary($) |
|
Awards($)(1) |
|
($)(2) |
|
($)(3) |
|
Total ($) |
John Spielberger (6) |
|
|
2008 |
|
|
|
105,769 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9,437 |
|
|
|
115,206 |
|
President -North |
|
|
2007 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
American Operations
and
Vice Chairman |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eduard Will (7) |
|
|
2008 |
|
|
|
58,423 |
|
|
|
21,836 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12,433 |
|
|
|
92,692 |
|
President -North |
|
|
2007 |
|
|
|
182,692 |
|
|
|
16,944 |
|
|
|
37,500 |
|
|
|
4,704 |
|
|
|
241,840 |
|
American Operations
and
Vice Chairman |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John J. Raab (8) |
|
|
2008 |
|
|
|
163,000 |
|
|
|
32,646 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12,264 |
|
|
|
207,910 |
|
Senior Executive |
|
|
2007 |
|
|
|
291,500 |
|
|
|
59,328 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20,141 |
|
|
|
370,969 |
|
Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Represents the expense to us pursuant to FAS 123(R) for the respective year for stock options granted as long-term incentives pursuant to our 2004
Non-Employee Outside Director Stock Option Plan or our 2004 Employee Stock Option Plan. All options received by each of Messrs. Pitts and Will in the
table above were received by such person as a non-employee director and prior to being named as an executive officer and after their resignation as an
executive officer, if applicable. The amount of option expense shown in the Summary Compensation Table for these three individuals is also included in
Directors Compensation on page 17. Immediately following the adoption by our stockholders of an amendment to our 2004 Non-Employee Outside Director
Stock Option Plan to increase the number of shares available for issuance thereunder from 250,000 to 500,000 shares in November 2006, each of
Messrs. Pitts and Will received an option to purchase up to 25,000 shares of our common stock, each of whom began to serve as a director at a time when
he was not an employee of ours and no additional shares were available under such plan. See notes to our financial statements for the fiscal years ended
March 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006 for the assumptions used for valuing the expense under FAS 123(R). |
|
(2) |
|
Represents bonus paid for such fiscal year. |
|
(3) |
|
The dollar amounts shown under the heading All other compensation represent the incremental cost of all
perquisites and other personal benefits to our named executive officers. |
|
(4) |
|
Mr. Ma did not receive any salary or other compensation from us in Fiscal 2007 or Fiscal 2008. |
|
(5) |
|
Mr. Pitts commenced employment as our Chief Financial Officer on February 19, 2007. |
|
(6) |
|
Mr. Spielberger commenced employment as our President-North American Operations on October 29,
2007. |
|
(7) |
|
Mr. Will was appointed to serve as our President-North American Operations in July 2006. On
March 30, 2007, Mr. Wills annual base salary was increased to $300,000. Mr. Will resigned
from his position as our President-North American Operations and was appointed as our
non-executive Vice Chairman on October 29, 2007, at which time Mr. Spielberger became our
President-North American Operations. On December 1, 2007, Mr. Will relinquished his duties
and responsibilities as an executive officer. |
|
(8) |
|
Mr. Raab retired as our Vice President and Chief Operating Officer effective August 31, 2007. |
-9-
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End
The following table provides certain information concerning outstanding equity awards held by
each of our named executive officers at March 31, 2008.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Option Awards |
|
|
Number of |
|
Number of |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Securities |
|
Securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Underlying |
|
Underlying |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unexercised |
|
Unexercised |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options (#) |
|
Options (#) |
|
Option Exercise |
|
Option Expiration |
Name |
|
Exercisable |
|
Unexercisable |
|
Price ($) |
|
Date |
|
Adrian Ma |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greenfield Pitts |
|
|
8,333 |
|
|
|
16,667 |
|
|
|
3.19 |
|
|
|
11/21/16 |
|
John Spielberger (1) |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eduard Will (2) |
|
|
16,667 |
|
|
|
8,333 |
|
|
|
3.07 |
|
|
|
1/31/16 |
|
|
|
|
8,333 |
|
|
|
16,667 |
|
|
|
3.19 |
|
|
|
11/21/16 |
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Mr. Spielberger commenced employment as our President-North American Operations on October 29, 2007. |
|
(2) |
|
Mr. Will was appointed to serve as our President-North American Operations in July 2006 and
resigned from that position on October 29, 2007. On December 1, 2007, Mr. Will relinquished all
his duties and responsibilities as an executive officer; he currently is our non-executive Vice Chairman. |
Compensation of Directors
During Fiscal 2008, our directors who were not employees (Outside Directors), specifically
Messrs. Bünger and Farnum (until their departures in December 2007), Mr. Will (upon on his
relinquishment of duties as an executive officer in December 2007) and Messrs. Driscoll, Mahathir,
Peterson, Sethi and Wirsching were paid $33,750, $57,500, $15,000, $76,667, $13,125, $13,125,
$16,042 and $71,667, respectively, for serving on the Board of Directors and on our various
committees during the period. Outside Directors each is paid an annual directors fee of $45,000.
During Fiscal 2008, each of the members of the Audit Committee was paid an additional fee of $5,000
per annum until December 2007 and thereafter, an additional fee of $10,000 per annum. The Chairman
of the Audit Committee is paid an additional fee of $5,000 per annum. All directors fees are paid
in four equal quarterly installments per annum. Directors who are our employees were not paid for
their services as a director while an employee during Fiscal 2008.
Additionally, each director, who is not an employee, is eligible to participate in our 2004
Non-Employee Outside Director Stock Option Plan. Our directors are reimbursed their expenses for
attendance at meetings. Further, we offer to provide health care insurance to each of our
directors who is not an employee. In addition, in connection with the expiration of Mr. Farnums
term as a director as of the date of our 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, we agreed to pay for
Mr. Farnums medical benefits for a period of two years following the date of our 2007 Annual
Meeting of Stockholders. We estimate that our annual cost of providing these benefits is
approximately $12,000 per year, and during Fiscal 2008, the cost of such benefits to us was $2,812.
-10-
The following table provides certain information with respect to the compensation earned or
paid to our Outside Directors during Fiscal 2008.
Directors Compensation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fees |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earned |
|
|
|
|
|
All Other |
|
|
|
|
or Paid in |
|
|
|
Compensation |
|
|
Name |
|
Cash ($) |
|
Option Awards ($)(1) |
|
($) |
|
Total ($) |
Michael A.B. Binney (2) |
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
$ |
12,996 |
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
$ |
12,996 |
|
Eduard Will (3) |
|
$ |
15,000 |
|
|
$ |
21,836 |
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
$ |
36,836 |
|
Peter Bünger (4) |
|
$ |
33,750 |
|
|
$ |
5,423 |
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
$ |
39,173 |
|
Jerome Farnum (5)(6) |
|
$ |
57,500 |
|
|
$ |
(15,046 |
) |
|
$ |
2,812 |
|
|
$ |
45,266 |
|
W. Michael Driscoll (6)(7) |
|
$ |
76,667 |
|
|
$ |
19,000 |
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
$ |
95,667 |
|
Norbert Wirsching (6)(8) |
|
$ |
71,667 |
|
|
$ |
9,500 |
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
$ |
81,167 |
|
Mirzan Mahathir (9) |
|
$ |
13,125 |
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
$ |
13,125 |
|
Kareem E. Sethi (9) |
|
$ |
16,042 |
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
$ |
16,042 |
|
David R. Peterson (10) |
|
$ |
13,125 |
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
$ |
13,125 |
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Represents the expense to us pursuant to FAS 123(R) for the respective year for stock
options granted as long-term incentives pursuant to our 2004 Non-Employee Outside
Director Stock Option Plan. See notes to our financial statements for the fiscal
years ended March 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006 for the assumptions used for valuing the
expense under FAS 123(R). At March 31, 2008, Messrs. Binney, Will, Pitts, Driscoll
and Wirsching had options to purchase 25,000, 50,000, 25,000, 50,000 and 25,000,
shares of our common stock, respectively. |
|
(2) |
|
Mr. Binney was appointed to serve as our Acting Group Controller in February 2007 and
as our President-International Operations in July 2006. Mr. Binney did not receive
any salary or other compensation from us in Fiscal 2007 or Fiscal 2008. Mr. Binney
resigned from his positions in May 2008. |
|
(3) |
|
Mr. Will was appointed to serve as our President-North American Operations in July
2006. Mr. Will resigned from his position as our President-North American Operations
and began to serve as our Vice Chairman on October 29, 2007. On December 1, 2007,
Mr. Will relinquished his duties and responsibilities as an executive officer. |
|
(4) |
|
On October 25, 2007, Mr. Bünger resigned as a director, effective as of the date of
our annual meeting of stockholders, December 13, 2007. |
|
(5) |
|
In connection with the expiration of Mr. Farnums term as a director as of the date
of our 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, we agreed to pay for Mr. Farnums medical
benefits for a period of two years following the date of our 2007 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders. We estimate that our annual cost of providing these benefits is
approximately $12,000 per year. Our cost of providing these benefits during Fiscal
2008 was $2,812. |
|
(6) |
|
Includes fees of $20,000 paid to each of Messrs. Farnum, Driscoll and Wirsching for
services through December 31, 2007 in connection with the Audit Committees
independent review of certain related party transactions. |
|
(7) |
|
Mr. Driscoll resigned as a director on July 14, 2008. |
|
(8) |
|
Mr. Wirsching resigned as a director on July 28, 2008. |
|
(9) |
|
Each of Messrs. Mahathir and Sethi began to serve as a director on December 13, 2007. |
|
(10) |
|
Mr. Peterson began to serve as a director on December 13, 2007 and resigned from such
position on July 15, 2008. |
-11-
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
During Fiscal 2008, we did not have a compensation committee, and Christopher Ho, our
Chairman, and Adrian Ma, our President and Chief Executive Officer, participated in deliberations
of our Board of Directors concerning executive officer compensation. In April 2008, our Board of
Directors established a Corporate Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee, which
presently is comprised of two directors, Adrian Ma and Kareem E. Sethi.
None of our executive officers served as a director or a member of a compensation committee
(or other committee serving an equivalent function) of any other entity, the executive officers of
which served as a director or member of our Board of Directors during Fiscal 2008.
ITEM 12 SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER
MATTERS
The following table sets forth, as of July 21, 2008, the beneficial ownership of (i) each
current director; (ii) each nominee for director at our annual meeting; (iii) each of our named
executive officers; (iv) our current directors and executive officers as a group; and (v) each
stockholder known by us to own beneficially more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock.
Common stock beneficially owned and percentage ownership as of July 21, 2008 were based on
27,129,832 shares outstanding. Except as otherwise noted, the address of each of the following
beneficial owners is c/o Emerson Radio Corp., Nine Entin Road, Parsippany, New Jersey 07054.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amount and Nature of |
|
|
Name and Address of Beneficial Owners |
|
Beneficial Ownership (1) |
|
Percent of Class (1) |
Christopher Ho (2) |
|
|
15,634,482 |
|
|
|
57.6 |
% |
Adrian Ma |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
Greenfield Pitts (3) |
|
|
33,333 |
|
|
|
|
* |
John Spielberger |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
Michael A. B. Binney (4) |
|
|
16,667 |
|
|
|
|
* |
Eduard Will (5) |
|
|
25,000 |
|
|
|
|
* |
John J. Raab (6) |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
* |
Mirzan Mahathir |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
David R. Peterson |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
Kareem E. Sethi |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
Lloyd I. Miller, III (7) |
|
|
1,584,381 |
|
|
|
5.8 |
% |
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (8) |
|
|
1,388,214 |
|
|
|
5.1 |
% |
All
Directors and Executive Officers as a Group (9 persons) (9) |
|
|
15,718,815 |
|
|
|
57.8 |
% |
|
|
|
(*) |
|
Less than one percent. |
|
(1) |
|
Based on 27,129,832 shares of common stock outstanding as of July 21, 2008. Each beneficial owners
percentage ownership of common stock is determined by assuming that options that are held by such
person (but not those held by any other person) and that are exercisable or convertible within 60 days
of July 21, 2008 have been exercised. Except as otherwise indicated, the beneficial ownership table
does not include common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options, which are not currently
exercisable within 60 days of July 21, 2008. Except as otherwise indicated and based upon our review
of information as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), we believe that the
beneficial owners of the securities listed have sole investment and voting power with respect to such
shares, subject to community property laws where applicable. |
|
(2) |
|
S&T International Distribution Ltd. (S&T) is the record owner of 15,634,482 shares of common stock
(the Shares). As the sole stockholder of S&T, Grande N.A.K.S. Ltd. (N.A.K.S.) may be deemed to own
beneficially the Shares. As the sole stockholder of N.A.K.S., Grande Holdings may be deemed to own
beneficially the Shares. Mr. Ho has a beneficial interest in approximately 67% of the capital stock of
Grande Holdings. By virtue of such interest and his position with Grande Holdings, Mr. Ho may be
deemed to have |
-12-
|
|
|
|
|
power to vote and power to dispose of the Shares beneficially held by Grande Holdings.
Information with respect to the ownership of these shares was obtained from a Schedule 13D/A filed on
November 5, 2007. |
|
(3) |
|
Mr. Pitts ownership consists of 25,000 shares of common stock directly owned by him and options to
purchase 8,333 shares of our common stock issued pursuant to Emersons 2004 Non-Employee Director
Stock Option Plan that are exercisable within 60 days of July 21, 2008. Mr. Pitts also has options to
purchase 16,667 shares of our common stock issued pursuant to Emersons 2004 Non-Employee Director
Stock Option Plan that are not exercisable within 60 days of July 21, 2008. |
|
(4) |
|
Mr. Binneys ownership consists of options to purchase 16,667 shares of our common stock issued
pursuant to Emersons 2004 Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan that are exercisable within 60 days
of July 21, 2008. Mr. Binney also has options to purchase 8,333 shares of our common stock issued
pursuant to Emersons 2004 Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan that are not exercisable within
60 days of July 21, 2008. |
|
(5) |
|
Mr. Wills ownership consists of options to purchase 25,000 shares of our common stock pursuant to
Emersons 2004 Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan that are exercisable within 60 days of July 21,
2008. Mr. Will also has options to purchase 25,000 shares of our common stock issued pursuant to
Emersons 2004 Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan that are not exercisable within 60 days of July
21, 2008. Mr. Will resigned from his position as our President-North American Operations and began to
serve as our Vice Chairman, effective as of October 29, 2007. On December 1, 2007, Mr. Will
relinquished his duties and responsibilities as an executive officer. |
|
(6) |
|
Mr. Raab resigned as our Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, effective August 31, 2007. |
|
(7) |
|
Lloyd I. Miller, III has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 638,445 of the reported
securities as (i) a manager of a limited liability company that is the general partner of a certain
limited partnership and (ii) an individual. Lloyd I. Miller, III has shared voting and dispositive
power with respect to 945,936 of the reported securities as an investment advisor to the trustee of
certain family trusts. The address of Lloyd Miller, III is 4550 Gordon Drive, Naples, Florida 34102.
Information with respect to the ownership of these shares was obtained from a Schedule 13G filed with
the SEC on June 24, 2008. |
|
(8) |
|
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (formerly, Dimensional Fund Advisors Inc.), an investment advisor
registered under Section 203 of the Investment Advisors Act of 1940, furnishes investment advice to
four investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and serves as
investment manager to certain other commingled group trusts and separate accounts. These investment
companies, trusts and accounts are the Funds. In its role as investment advisor or manager,
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP possesses investment and/or voting power over the securities that are
owned by the Funds, and may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of the shares held by the Funds.
However, all shares reported are owned by the Funds and Dimensional Fund Advisors LP disclaims
beneficial ownership of such securities and the filing by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP. The address
of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP is 1299 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, California 90401. Information
with respect to the ownership of these shares was obtained from a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on
February 6, 2008. |
|
(9) |
|
See footnotes (2) through (5) and (7). |
-13-
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table gives information about our common stock that may be issued upon the
exercise of options and rights under our 1994 Stock Compensation Program, 1994 Non-Employee
Director Stock Option Plan, Emerson Radio Corp. 2004 Employee Stock Incentive Plan and 2004
Non-Employee Outside Director Stock Option Plan and exercise of warrants, as of March 31, 2008 (the
Plans). The 1994 Plans expired in July 2004 and the remaining Plans are the only equity
compensation plans in existence as of March 31, 2008.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of securities to be |
|
Weighted average exercise |
|
Number of securities |
|
|
issued upon exercise of |
|
price of outstanding |
|
remaining available for |
|
|
outstanding options, |
|
options, warrants and |
|
future issuance under |
|
|
warrants and rights |
|
rights |
|
equity compensation plans |
|
|
(a) |
|
(b) |
|
(c) |
Equity compensation
plans approved by
security holders |
|
|
212,334 |
|
|
$ |
3.03 |
|
|
|
2,800,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity compensation
plans not approved
by security holders |
|
|
100,000 |
|
|
|
4.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
|
|
312,334 |
|
|
$ |
3.34 |
|
|
|
2,800,000 |
|
ITEM 13 CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
From time to time, we engage in business transactions with our controlling shareholder, The
Grande Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries (Grande). As of July 21, 2008, Grande beneficially
owned approximately 57.6% of our outstanding common stock. Mr. Ho, our Chairman of the Board, also
serves as Chairman of the Grande Holdings Limited. Set forth below is a summary of such
transactions. As of July 15, 2008, substantially all monies then currently due to us from Grande
have been paid in full.
Grandes Purchase of Controlling Interest in Emerson. On December 5, 2005, Grande purchased
approximately 37% (10,000,000 shares) of our outstanding common stock from our former Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer, Geoffrey P. Jurick. Since its initial purchase, Grande has increased its
ownership of our common stock through open market and private purchases, including the purchase on
September 21, 2007, from a former holder of more than five percent of our common stock of 1,853,882
shares. Grande beneficially owned approximately 57.6% of our common stock on July 15, 2008.
License Agreement for Scott Brands. In April 2008, we terminated our agreement with a
consumer electronics distributor, APH (the Licensee), pursuant to which, among other things, we
had agreed to grant the Licensee a license to distribute and sell LCD televisions in North America
under our H.H. Scott brand name. The Licensee also had a distributor relationship with Grande.
We were paid royalties of $0 in Fiscal 2008 and $110,000 in Fiscal 2007 as a result of sales of LCD
televisions bearing the H.H. Scott name.
Unsecured Financial Assistance to Grande. During the third quarter of Fiscal 2007, we
provided unsecured financial assistance in the form of letters of credit and loans which aggregated
approximately $22.0 million at December 31, 2006 to Capetronic Display Limited (Capetronic),
Nakamichi Corporation (Nakamichi), Akai Electric (China) Co. Ltd. (Akai), and Sansui Electric
(China) Co. (Sansui), each of which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Grande. In reviewing the
documentation for certain of the letters of credit referred to above, we determined that some of
the parts for which letters of credit were opened were to be used for the manufacture of 27 and
42 television sets to be sold to the Licensee by Akai. We had no direct or indirect interest in
such sales, and Capetronic paid Emerson $57,000 as a fee for facilitating these transactions.
On February 21, 2007, Capetronic, Nakamichi, Akai, and Sansui (collectively, the Borrowers),
each of which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Grande, jointly and severally, issued a promissory
note (the Note) in favor
-14-
of us in the principal amount of $23,501,514. The principal amount of the Note represented
the outstanding amount owed to us as of February 21, 2007, as a result of certain related party
transactions entered into between us and the Borrowers described above, including interest that had
accrued from the date of such related party transactions until the date of the Note.
Simultaneously with the execution of the Note, Grande executed a guaranty (the Guaranty) in favor
of us pursuant to which Grande guaranteed payment of all of the obligations of the Borrowers under
the Note in accordance with the terms thereof. All installments due under the Note, together with
interest at the rate of 8.25% per annum, were paid on their respective due dates and the note was
paid in full on June 3, 2007. In February 2008, Emerson accepted a debit note from Capetronic for
$4,604 resulting from a previous overpayment of the note. By June 3, 2007, all amounts due under
the note were repaid. In February 2008, we accepted a debit note from Capetronic for $4,604
resulting from a previous overpayment of the note.
In addition, on August 14, 2007, Capetronic reimbursed Emerson for the $125,000 fee which it
was required to pay to its lender in order to receive from its lender a waiver of the defaults
under its credit agreement attributable to the transactions described in the preceding paragraphs.
Product Sourcing Transactions. Since August 2006, we have been providing to Sansui Sales PTE
Ltd (Sansui Sales) and Akai Sales PTE Ltd (Akai Sales), both of which are subsidiaries of
Grande, assistance acquiring certain products for sale. We issue purchase orders to third-party
suppliers who manufacture these products, and we issue sales invoices to Sansui Sales and Akai
Sales at gross amounts for these products. Financing is provided by Sansui Sales and Akai Sales
customers in the form of transfer letters of credit to the suppliers, and goods are shipped
directly from the suppliers to Sansui Sales and Akai Sales customers. We recorded income
totaling $102,000 and $13,000 for providing this service in Fiscal 2008 and the three months ended
June 30, 3008. respectively. Sansui Sales and Akai Sales paid their outstanding balances as of the
end Fiscal 2008 to us in June 2008.
Sales of goods. In addition to the product sourcing transactions described in the preceding
paragraph, we have also purchased products on behalf of Sansui Sales and Akai Sales from
third-party suppliers and sold these goods to Sansui Sales and Akai Sales. These transactions are
similar to the transactions described in the preceding paragraph; however, instead of utilizing
transfer letters of credit provided by Sansui Sales and Akai Sales customers, we utilize our own
cash to pay Sansui Sales and Akai Sales suppliers. We invoice Sansui Sales and Akai Sales an
amount that is marked up between two and three percent from the cost of the product. Emerson
recorded sales to Akai and Sansui of $242,000 in Fiscal 2008. Sansui Sales and Akai Sales paid
their outstanding balances to us in June 2008.
Leases and Other Real Estate Transactions. Effective January 1, 2006, we entered into a lease
for office space in Hong Kong with Grande and an agreement for services in connection with this
office space rental from Grande, which was extended through December 31, 2008, and which will
expire at that date unless terminated earlier by either party upon three months prior written
notice of termination by either party. Under a new agreement commencing March 1, 2008, the office
space rented was increased from 7,810 square feet to 18,476 square feet. Rent expense with Grande
was $119,000, $270,000 and $206,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2008, Fiscal 2008 and
Fiscal 2007, respectively. The amount of expense incurred with Grande for all other services in
connection with this office space rental was approximately $13,000, $106,000 and $56,000 for the
three months ended June 30, 2008, Fiscal 2008 and Fiscal 2007.
We utilize the services of Grande employees for certain administrative and executive
functions. Grande pays us quality assurance personnel in RMB in China on our behalf for which we
subsequently pay a reimbursement to Grande. Payroll and travel expenses, including utilization of
Grande employees as well as payroll and travel expenses paid on our behalf and reimbursed to
Grande, were $515,000 and $167,000 for Fiscal 2008 and Fiscal 2007, respectively. We owed Grande
$98,000 related to this activity as of June 30, 2008.
From May to October 2007, we occupied office space in Shenzhen, China under a lease agreement
with Akai AV Multimedia (Zhongshan) Co Ltd, an affiliate of Grande. Rent expense was $79,000 and
other expenses in connection with this agreement were $29,000. The agreement was not renewed.
In May 2007, we paid an initial $10,000 commission to Vigers Hong Kong Ltd (Vigers), a
property agent and a subsidiary of Grande, related to the sale of a building owned by us to an
unaffiliated buyer. Also, we received
-15-
a deposit of approximately $300,000 from the buyer on this date. The sale was concluded on
September 27, 2007. An additional $10,000 commission was paid to Vigers by us on the closing date
of the sale of the property. We received the balance of the purchase price of approximately
$1,700,000 on September 27, 2007, the closing date of the sale.
Toy Musical Instruments. In May 2007, we entered into an agreement with Goldmen Electronic
Co. Ltd. (Goldmen), pursuant to which we agreed to pay $1,682,220 in exchange for Goldmens
manufacture and delivery to us of musical instruments in order for us to meet our delivery
requirements of these instruments in the first week of September 2007. In July 2007, we learned
that Goldmen had filed for bankruptcy and was unable to manufacture the musical instruments we had
ordered. Promptly after we learned of Goldmens bankruptcy, Capetronic agreed to manufacture the
musical instruments on substantially the same terms and conditions, including the price, as Goldmen
had agreed to manufacture them. Accordingly, on July 12, 2007, we paid Tomei Shoji Limited, an
affiliate of Grande, $125,000 to acquire from Goldmen and deliver to Capetronic the molds and
equipment necessary for Capetronic to manufacture the musical instruments. In July 2007, Emerson
made two upfront payments to Capetronic totaling $546,000. On July 20, 2007, Capetronic advised us
that it was unable to manufacture the musical instruments for us because it did not have the
requisite governmental licenses to do so. In June 2008, Capetronic repaid the $546,000 advance it
received from us in July 2007. Capetronic currently physically possesses our musical instrument
molds, which we wrote off in Fiscal 2008.
Freight Forwarding Services. In June 2007, we and Capetronic signed an agreement for us to
provide freight forwarding services to Capetronic. Under this agreement, we will pay the costs of
importation of Capetronics inventory on Capetronics behalf, and to arrange for the inventory to
be received at a port of entry, cleared through the United States Customs Service using our
regularly engaged broker, and transfer the inventory to a common carrier as arranged by
Capetronics customer. If Capetronics customer failed to make such arrangements with a common
carrier, we agreed to transfer the inventory to our warehouse for storage or make other
arrangements with a public warehouse. Following the transfer of Capetronics inventory, we are
required to provide Next Day delivery of all importation documents and bills of lading to
Capetronics customer. Capetronic agreed to reimburse us for all costs incurred by us in connection
with the activity just described within thirty days of demand by us, after which interest accrues.
As compensation, Capetronic agreed to pay us a service fee of 12% of the importation costs. We
billed Capetronic for the reimbursement of importation costs totaling $246,000 and a commission of
$29,000. Capetronic paid us $275,000 on November 14, 2007.
Other. Between August and December 2007, we paid invoices and incurred charges for goods and
services relating to the Hong Kong Electronics Fair of $153,069. Portions of these charges
totaling $87,353, have been allocated and invoiced to affiliates of Grande in proportion to their
respective share of space occupied and services rendered during the Electronics Fair as follows:
Nakamichi Corporation Ltd. $17,143, Akai Sales PTE Ltd $44,495 and Sansui Sales PTE Ltd $25,715.
Akai Sales and Sansui Sales paid us $70,210 in connection with the Hong Kong Electronics Fair in
June 2008.
Also related to the annual Hong Kong Electronics Fairs, Capetronic incurred charges and paid
invoices on our behalf in the amount of $76,000 for which Emerson reimbursed Capetronic $48,000 in
March 2008. We paid all of our outstanding balances to Capetronics in June 2008.
In June 2007, we paid a one-time sales commission in the amount of $14,000 to an Executive
Director of Grande Holdings, who is also one of our directors. The commission was 50% of the net
margin on a sale by us to an unaffiliated customer.
In January 2008, Grande transferred computer, office equipment, and furniture to us for which
we paid $12,000, which represented the carrying amount of the assets on the books of Grande at the
time of sale.
In June 2008, we paid Capetronic $160,000 for reimbursement of payroll and travel expenses
paid on our behalf from October 2007 through May 2008. Also included in the payment was a
reimbursement for expenses Capetronic paid on our behalf for a trade show.
-16-
Review and Approval of Transactions with Related Parties
In February 2007, we adopted a policy that all future affiliated transactions in excess of
$500,000 must be approved by a majority of the independent outside members of our Board of
Directors who do not have an interest in the transactions. This policy was adopted by resolution
of our Board of Directors at a meeting of our Board of Directors, and we currently are updating our
written finance and accounting policy and procedure manual to, among other things, document such
policy. Since the adoption of our policy with respect to affiliated transactions in February 2007,
there were no affiliated transactions in excess of $500,000 that required approval by a majority of
the independent outside members of our Board of Directors under our policy other than the
transaction described above under the subheading Toy Musical Instruments, which was approved in
accordance with our policy.
Director Independence
As of July 21, 2008, Grande Holdings beneficially owned an aggregate of 15,634,482 shares of
our common stock, which represents approximately 57.6% of the shares of common stock currently
outstanding. Accordingly, we are a controlled company (a Controlled Company), as such term is
defined in Section 801(a) of the Company Guide. Because we are a Controlled Company, we are exempt
from the requirement that at least a majority of the directors on our Board of Directors be
independent as defined under the American Stock Exchange listing standards, (ii) the requirement
to have the compensation of our executives determined by a compensation committee comprised solely
of independent directors or by a majority of the boards independent directors and (iii) from the
requirement to have director nominees selected by a nominating committee comprised entirely of
independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors.
We currently have seven directors, Christopher Ho, Adrian Ma, Greenfield Pitts, Michael A.B.
Binney, Mirzan Mahathir, Kareem E. Sethi and Eduard Will. Our Board of Directors has determined
that each of that Messrs. Mahathir and Sethi are independent as defined under the American Stock
Exchange listing standards. Our Board of Directors also determined that Peter G. Bünger, W.
Michael Driscoll, Jerome H. Farnum and Norbert R. Wirsching, each of whom served as a member of our
Board of Directors during Fiscal 2008, were independent as defined under the American Stock
Exchange listing standards.
Under Section 803(B)(2)(A) of the Company Guide, we are required to have an audit committee of
at least two independent members, as defined by the listing standards of the American Stock
Exchange. Our Audit Committee, which is a separately-designated standing audit committee
established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act, presently is comprised of
one independent director, Mr. Sethi. During Fiscal 2008 and through the date of his resignation on
July 14, 2008, W. Michael Driscoll served as the Chairman, the audit committee financial expert
and an independent director of the Audit Committee. During Fiscal 2008 and through the date of his
resignation on July 28, 2008, Norbert R. Wirsching served as an independent director of the Audit
Committee. During Fiscal 2008 and through December 13, 2007, Mr. Farnum served as an independent
director of the Audit Committee. Mr. Sethi began to serve as an independent director of the Audit
Committee on December 13, 2007.
On July 29, 2008, we notified the American Stock Exchange that as a result of Mr. Wirschings
resignation and the resulting vacancy on the Audit Committee, the Audit Committee consists of one
independent director, and not two independent directors as required by Section 803(B)(2) of the
Company Guide. As a result, we are not in compliance with Section 803(B)(2) of the Company Guide.
In accordance with Section 803(B)(6) of the Company Guide, we must regain compliance with the audit
committee requirements set forth in the Section 803(B)(2) of the Company Guide by the earlier of
our next annual shareholder meeting and July 28, 2009; provided, however, that if the annual
shareholder meeting occurs prior to October 11, 2008, we shall instead have until October 11, 2008
to regain compliance. Our Board of Directors is considering candidates who will qualify to serve
on our Audit Committee.
Under Sections 804 and 805 of the Company Guide, we are exempt from the requirement to have
the compensation of our executives determined by a compensation committee comprised solely of
independent directors or by a majority of the boards independent directors and from the
requirement to have director nominees selected by a nominating committee comprised entirely of
independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors because we are a Controlled
Company. During Fiscal 2008, our Board of Directors did not have a compensation
-17-
committee or a nominating committee. In April 2008, our Board of Directors established a
Corporate Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee, which was to be comprised of three
members, at least two of whom were to be independent as such term is defined in Section 803A of
the Company Guide. On June 24, 2008, our Corporate Governance, Nominating and Compensation
Committee was fully constituted with three directors, Messrs. Ma, Peterson and Sethi, two of whom
the Board had determined were independent as such term is defined in Section 803A of the Company
Guide. Since Mr. Petersons resignation on July 15, 2008, our Corporate Governance, Nominating and
Compensation Committee has been comprised of two directors, Messrs. Ma and Sethi.
Our Board of Directors currently is considering the adoption of a charter of the Corporate
Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee. We expect that the charter, as finally adopted,
will provide that the Corporate Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee will be
responsible for, among other things (i) the development and implementation of a set of corporate
governance principles applicable to the Company; (ii) the determination of the slate of director
nominees for election to the Companys Board and recommendation to the Board individuals to fill
vacancies occurring between annual meetings of shareholders; and (iii) the recommendation to the
Board for compensation arrangements of the Companys directors and executive officers.
ITEM 14 PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
In accordance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the Audit
Committees charter, all audit and audit-related work and all non-audit work performed by our
independent accountants, Moore Stephens, P.C., is approved in advance by the Audit Committee,
including the proposed fees for such work. The Audit Committee is informed of each service
actually rendered.
|
Ø |
|
Audit Fees. Audit fees billed to us by Moore Stephens for the
audit of the financial statements included in our Annual Reports
on Form 10-K, and reviews by Moore Stephens P.C. of the financial
statements included in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, for
the fiscal years ended March 31, 2007 and 2008 totaled
approximately $233,900 and $247,400, respectively. |
|
|
Ø |
|
Audit-Related Fees.We were billed $110,000 and $117,200 by Moore Stephens P.C. for the fiscal years ended
March 31, 2007 and 2008, respectively, for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the
audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under the caption Audit Fees above. Audit-related fees were principally related
to procedures in connection with the audit of our parent companys consolidated financial statement for its fiscal years ended
December 31, 2006 and December 31, 2007, portions of which were credited to our audit fees for the audit of our financial statements
for our fiscal years ended March 31, 2007 and March 31, 2008. |
|
|
Ø |
|
Tax Fees. Moore Stephens P.C. billed us an aggregate of $64,000
and $98,600, for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2007 and 2008,
respectively, for tax services, principally related to the
preparation of income tax returns and related consultation. |
|
|
Ø |
|
All Other Fees. We were not billed by Moore Stephens P.C. for the
fiscal years ended March 31, 2007 and 2008, respectively, for any
permitted non-audit services. |
Applicable law and regulations provide an exemption that permits certain services to be
provided by our outside auditors even if they are not pre-approved. We have not relied on this
exemption at any time since the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was enacted.
-18-
PART IV.
ITEM 15 Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
(a)(3)
|
31.1 |
|
Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
|
|
31.2 |
|
Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
-19-
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A to the Registrants
Annual Report on Form 10-K to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized.
|
|
|
|
|
|
EMERSON RADIO CORP.
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Adrian Ma |
|
|
|
Adrian Ma |
|
|
|
Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
Dated: July 29, 2008
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been
signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the
dates indicated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chairman of the Board of the
|
|
July 29, 2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
Christopher Ho
|
|
Directors |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Adrian
Ma
|
|
Chief Executive Officer
|
|
July 29, 2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
Adrian Ma
|
|
(Principal Executive Officer)
and Director |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Greenfield
Pitts
|
|
Chief Financial Officer
|
|
July 29, 2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
Greenfield Pitts
|
|
(Principal Financial and
Accounting Officer), and
Director |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Michael
A. B. Binney
|
|
Director
|
|
July 29, 2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
Michael A. B. Binney |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Kareem
E. Sethi
|
|
Director
|
|
July 29, 2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
Kareem E. Sethi |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Director
|
|
July 29, 2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
Eduard Will |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Director
|
|
July 29, 2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
Mirzan Mahathir |
|
|
|
|
-20-