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                                                                    Exhibit 10-b

                               NORDSON CORPORATION

                        1979 EMPLOYEES STOCK OPTION PLAN
                           AS AMENDED OCTOBER 27, 1980

               1. PURPOSE. This 1979 Employees Stock Option Plan (the "Plan") is
designed to enable Nordson Corporation ("Nordson") and its subsidiaries, by the
grant of options to purchase Common Shares of Nordson, to retain and attract
executive, managerial, technical, and professional personnel for Nordson and its
subsidiaries and to provide additional incentive to such personnel through
increased stock ownership.

               2. ADMINISTRATION. The Plan shall be administered by the
Compensation Committee of Nordson's Board of Directors (the "Committee"), which
shall consist of not less than three Directors appointed by and serving during
the pleasure of Nordson's Board of Directors. No Director who has at any time
within one year been eligible to participate in the Plan, or in any employee
stock purchase plan or in any other stock option or stock appreciation rights
plan of Nordson or any of its affiliates, may serve as a member of the
Committee. The Committee shall have full power and authority to grant options
under the Plan and to interpret the provisions and to supervise the
administration of the Plan. All decisions of the Committee shall be made by not
less than a majority of its members and shall be final.

               3. SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN. The shares subject to this Plan
are Nordson's authorized Common Shares with a par value of $1 each ("Common
Shares") and may be authorized but unissued or treasury shares as the Committee
may from time to time determine. The total number of Common Shares that may be
issued and sold upon the exercise of options granted under the Plan may not
exceed 200,000, giving effect to the 2-for-1 stock split declared on November
19, 1979, subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 12. Nordson may
reacquire Common Shares at the time options are exercised or from time to time
in advance, whenever the Board of Directors deems such purchase advisable. If an
option is surrendered or ceases to be exercisable for any reason other than the
exercise of related stock appreciation rights, the Common Shares as to which the
option has ceased to be exercisable shall again be available for offering under
the Plan. Upon exercise of stock appreciation rights, the option or applicable
part of the option related to the stock appreciation rights shall be deemed to
have been exercised, and the Common Shares that would otherwise have been issued
upon exercise of the option shall not again be available for offering under the
Plan.

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               4. ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES. The Committee shall, from time to time,
designate the employees to whom options are granted. Options may be granted to
any salaried employee of Nordson or of any subsidiary with executive,
managerial, technical, or professional responsibility, including any Director or
officer who is a salaried employee. An employee may hold more than one option.

               5. OPTION PRICE. The option price under each option shall be
determined by the Committee or by the Board of Directors and may not be less
than 100% of the fair market value of the Common Shares on the date of the
granting of the option. In no event, however, may previously unissued Common
Shares be issued at a price less than that permitted by the Ohio General
Corporation Law. The fair market value shall, for purposes of the Plan, be
determined by the Committee.

               6. NOTICE OF GRANT OF OPTION. Upon the granting of any option to
an employee, the Committee shall promptly cause the employee to be notified of
the grant and terms of the option. The date on which the Committee approves the
grant of the option shall be considered to be the date on which the option is
granted.

               7.  EXERCISE OF OPTIONS.

               (a) The date on which each option becomes exercisable shall be
         determined by the Committee or by the Board of Directors on or before
         grant of the option. On and after that date the option may be exercised
         in whole or, from time to time, in part at any time during the life of
         the option.

               (b) Notwithstanding any exercise date determined by the Committee
         or by the Board of Directors under Subsection (a), an option shall
         become exercisable in whole or in part prior to any merger or
         consolidation in which Nordson is not the surviving corporation, any
         sale of all or substantially all of the assets of Nordson, any
         liquidation or dissolution of Nordson, or the termination of any tender
         or exchange offer for 25% or more of the total number of outstanding
         Common Shares, unless the corporation surviving the merger or
         consolidation, acquiring the assets, or making the exchange offer
         assumes or substitutes new options for all options outstanding under
         the Plan on a basis approved by the Committee. As soon as practicable

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         prior to the anticipated effective date of any such proposed
         transaction, the Committee shall cause to be given to each optionee
         written notice identifying the proposed transaction and specifying a
         date, which shall not be more than 10 days prior to the anticipated
         effective date of the proposed transaction, prior to which the option
         may be exercised. The exercise of an option which becomes exercisable
         under this Subsection (b) shall be, and the exercise of an option which
         is already exercisable without regard to this Subsection (b) in the
         discretion of the optionee may be, conditioned upon consummation of the
         proposed transaction, in which case the optionee need not make payment
         for the Common Shares to be purchased upon exercise of the option until
         five days after written notice by Nordson to the optionee that the
         proposed transaction has been consummated.

               (c) No fraction of a Common Share may be purchased upon exercise
         of an option.

               8. EXERCISE OF OPTIONS AFTER TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT. No option
may be exercised after termination of an optionee's employment for any reason
except as provided in this Section 8.

               (a) If the termination of employment is due to permanent
         disability or to retirement under the applicable retirement plan or
         policy of Nordson or of a subsidiary, the optionee shall have the right
         to exercise the option in whole or in part within the earlier of (i)
         three months after the date of the termination of the optionee's
         employment or (ii) the expiration of the life of the option.

               (b) If the termination of employment is due to the death of the
         optionee, the optionee's estate, personal representative, or
         beneficiary shall have the right to exercise the option in whole or in
         part within the earlier of (i) 12 months after the date of the
         optionee's death or (ii) the expiration of the life of the option.

               (c) If the termination of employment is due to any reason other
         than permanent disability, retirement under the applicable

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         retirement plan or policy of Nordson or of a subsidiary, or death, the
         optionee may exercise the option in whole or in part only with the
         consent of the Committee. In such event, the consent of the Committee
         must be obtained and the option exercised within the earlier of (i)
         three months after the date of the termination of the optionee's
         employment or (ii) the expiration of the life of the option.

               9. TERMINATION OF OPTIONS.

               (a) Unless terminated earlier under Subsection (b) or (c) of this
         Section 9, an option granted under the Plan shall terminate, and the
         right of the optionee or of any other person to purchase Common Shares
         upon exercise of the option shall expire, at the time determined by the
         Committee and specified in the notice of grant of the option, which may
         not be later than ten years from the date the option is granted.

               (b) An option shall terminate, and the right of the optionee or
         of any other person to purchase Common Shares upon exercise of the
         option shall expire, upon consummation of any merger or consolidation
         in which Nordson is not the surviving corporation, any sale of all or
         substantially all of the assets of Nordson, or any liquidation or
         dissolution of Nordson.

               (c) If this Plan is not approved by Nordson's shareholders within
         12 months before or after the Plan is adopted by Nordson's Board of
         Directors, any option granted shall be terminated, and the right of the
         optionee or any other person to purchase Common Shares upon exercise of
         the option shall expire.

               10. EXERCISE OF OPTIONS AND PAYMENT FOR SHARES. Options shall be
exercised by delivery of written notice of exercise to Nordson accompanied,
except as provided in Section 7(b), by payment of the option price. Common
Shares subject to an option shall be issued or, in the case of treasury shares,
sold only upon exercise of the option in whole or in part and, except as
provided in Section 7(b), upon full payment of the option price. Payment of the
option price shall be made in cash, by delivery of Common Shares, or partly in
cash and partly by delivery of Common Shares. Any Common Shares so delivered
shall be valued

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at the mean between the highest and lowest selling prices of the Common Shares
as reported by the National Association of Securities Dealers through NASDAQ for
the date on which the option is exercised. If no sales are reported on the
exercise date, the Common Shares shall be valued in accordance with Treasury
Regulation, Section 20.2031-2. An optionee shall have none of the rights of a
shareholder with respect to the Common Shares subject to the option until the
Common Shares are issued or transferred to him.

               11. ASSIGNABILITY. An option granted under the Plan may not be
transferred or assigned by the optionee, otherwise than by will or the laws of
descent and distribution to the extent contemplated by Section 8(b), and may be
exercised during the optionee's lifetime only by him or by his guardian or legal
representative. A corporation surviving a merger or consolidation with Nordson,
acquiring all or substantially all of the assets of Nordson, or acquiring 25% or
more of the total number of outstanding Common Shares may, without the consent
of the optionee, assume or substitute a new option for an option granted under
the Plan, provided the Committee approves the basis on which the assumption or
substitution is made.

               12. ADJUSTMENTS UPON CHANGE IN SHARES. In the event of any change
in the Common Shares subject to this Plan or to an option granted under the Plan
by reason of a merger, consolidation, reorganization, or other corporate
transaction or of a stock dividend, stock split, or other capital adjustment,
the total number and class of shares that may be issued and sold upon exercise
of options to be granted under the Plan, the number and class of shares subject
to each outstanding option, and the option price with respect to such shares
shall be appropriately adjusted by the Committee, whose determination shall be
final.

               13. SUBSTITUTE STOCK OPTIONS. Notwithstanding any other
provisions to this Plan, options may be granted under this Plan in substitution
for options to purchase shares of capital stock of another corporation which is
merged into, consolidated with, or all or a substantial portion of the property
or stock of which is acquired by Nordson or a subsidiary of Nordson. The terms,
provisions, and benefits to optionees of such substitute options shall in all
respects be identical to the terms, provisions, and benefits to optionees of the
options of the other corporation on the date of substitution, except that such
substitute options shall provide for the purchase of Common Shares of Nordson
instead of shares of such other corporation.

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               14. PURCHASE FOR INVESTMENT. Each person exercising an option may
be required by Nordson to furnish a representation that he is acquiring the
Common Shares upon exercise of the option as an investment and not with a view
to distribution if Nordson, in its sole discretion, determines that the
representation is needed to insure that the resale or other disposition of the
Common Shares will not involve a violation of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, or of applicable state securities laws. Any such representation shall
cease to be applicable when the representation is no longer needed for such
purpose. To assure compliance with the representation, Nordson may place a
legend or other symbol on any certificate for Common Shares issued or sold under
the Plan and may issue stop transfer orders or similar instructions to the
transfer agent for its Common Shares.

               15. COMPLIANCE WITH SECURITIES LAWS. No Common Shares may be
issued and sold and no share certificate may be delivered upon exercise of an
option until Nordson has taken all actions then required to comply with the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, the Ohio Securities Act, as amended, any other applicable state
securities laws, and any exchange on which the Common Shares may be listed.

               16. DURATION AND TERMINATION OF THE PLAN. The Plan shall remain
in effect until October 31, 1989, and shall then terminate, unless terminated at
an earlier date by action of the Board of Directors; provided, however, that
termination of the Plan shall not affect options previously granted.

               17. AMENDMENT OF THE PLAN. The Board of Directors may from time
to time amend this Plan, although no such amendment may, without the approval of
shareholders, increase the total number of Common Shares that may be issued and
sold upon exercise of options granted under the Plan (except in accordance with
Section 12), reduce the option price at which options may be exercised, extend
the time within which options may be granted under the Plan or the time within
which an option may be exercised, or change the requirements relating to either
eligibility for participation in the Plan or administration of the Plan. Except
in accordance with Section 12, neither the Board of Directors nor the Committee
may, without the consent of the optionee, alter or impair an option previously
granted under the Plan.

               18. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Plan shall become effective when adopted
by Nordson's Board of Directors, subject to approval by Nordson's shareholders
within 12 months before or after such adoption.

Adopted by the Board of Directors
November 19, 1979<PAGE>   1
                                                                  Exhibit 10-b-1

                              NORDSON CORPORATION

                       RESOLUTION AMENDING 1979 EMPLOYEES
                    STOCK OPTION PLAN TO PROVIDE FOR OPTIONS
                          EXERCISABLE IN INSTALLMENTS

                                 April 20, 1982

                  RESOLVED, that Section 7(a) of the Company's 1979 Employees
Stock Option Plan (the "Option Plan") be, and hereby is, amended to read
as follows:

                  (a) Each option shall become exercisable at such
            time or times, wholly or in such installments, as
            the Committee may determine at the time of grant. Any option
            that, at the time of grant, is exercisable in installments
            may be subsequently accelerated to the extent determined by
            the Committee, provided that no part of an option, as
            accelerated, shall become exercisable before the first
            installment of the option, prior to acceleration, would have
            become exercisable.

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