I have been away so have missed a lot of the recent postings here. Many of the ones I have seen concerning the options seem to view the option shares as a straight gift to the employees receiving them. It should be kept in mind that if 10 million shares are taken up under the option then $6 million would flow into the company treasury. The employee only benefits by the value added, presumably partially as a result of that employee's dedication to his/her job at ECU. There are many opinions for and against the option idea but, in this case, it seems to be a fair way to motivate the employees and to repay them for the results that have been described by others here. I have not read the company's reports but my understanding is that these option shares must have already been approved for allotment by the shareholders or that formality must be gone through at a future shareholders' meeting - I stand to be corrected on that. My personal preference is for a profit sharing arrangement whereby a certain percentage of after tax profit is set aside and shares of that total are paid to all employees in the company, usually based on the percentage of the individual's salary compared to the total salary expense. This arrangement relates supplementary compensation to the company's and shareholders' financial wellbeing and serves to focus individuals' attention on "the bottom line." Stock options often are only granted to a select few and they run the risk of creating ill will when the market refuses to recognize that the company is doing well.