“Company Material Adverse Effect” means any event, occurrence, fact, condition, change, development or effect that (a) has had, or would reasonably be expected to have, a material adverse effect on the assets, liabilities, properties, business or results of operations or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, excluding any effect resulting from (i) changes or proposed changes in GAAP or the interpretation thereof, (ii) general economic or political conditions in the United States or any other country or region, including changes in financial, credit, securities or currency markets (including changes in interest or exchange rates), (iii) conditions generally affecting the industries in which the Company and its Subsidiaries operate, (iv) changes or proposed changes in Applicable Law or the interpretation thereof, (v) geopolitical conditions, the outbreak or escalation of hostilities, acts of war, sabotage, terrorism, cyberattacks, natural disasters, epidemics, pandemics or other widespread diseases (including COVID-19 and any COVID-19 Measures), (vi) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement or the announcement or consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the identity of or any facts or circumstances relating to Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, including the impact on the relationships, contractual or otherwise, of the Company and any of its Subsidiaries with customers, suppliers, service providers, employees, Governmental Authorities or any other Persons resulting from any of the foregoing and any stockholder or derivative litigation relating to the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement or the announcement or consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement ((A) other than, in each case, with respect to any representation or warranty that is intended to address the consequences of the execution or delivery of this Agreement or the announcement or consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and (B) excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, any breach of this Agreement by the Company), (vii) any failure by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to meet any internal or published budgets, projections, forecasts or predictions of financial performance or integration synergies for any period (it being understood that any underlying facts giving rise or contributing to such failure that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a “Company Material Adverse Effect” may be taken into account in determining whether there has been a Company Material Adverse Effect), (viii) any   3       actions taken (or omitted to be taken) at the express written request of Parent or Merger Sub, (ix) changes in the price and/or trading volume of the shares of Company Common Stock or any other securities of the Company on NASDAQ or any other market on which such securities are quoted for purchase and sale or changes in the credit ratings of the Company (it being understood that any underlying facts giving rise or contributing to such changes that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a “Company Material Adverse Effect” may be taken into account in determining whether there has been a Company Material Adverse Effect) or (x) any actions taken (or omitted to be taken) by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that are required or expressly contemplated to be taken (or omitted to be taken) pursuant to this Agreement, including any actions required under this Agreement to obtain any approvals, consents, registrations, permits, authorizations and other confirmations under applicable Competition Laws for the consummation of the Merger, except, in the case of clauses (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (v), to the extent the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, are materially and disproportionately impacted thereby relative to other entities operating in the same industry or industries in which the Company and its Subsidiaries operate (in which case the incremental material and disproportionate impact or impacts may be taken into account in determining whether there has been a Company Material Adverse Effect) or (b) would prevent the Company from consummating the Merger or the other transactions contemplated hereby.  (Page 4)

Question: MAE Definition
Category: Material Adverse Effect
Answer: business and operation of Target, ability to consummate transaction