. defined contribution plan the company and certain subsidiaries have various defined contribution plans , in which all eligible employees may participate . in the u.s. , the 401 ( k ) plan is a contributory plan . matching contributions are based upon the amount of the employees 2019 contributions . the company 2019s expenses for material defined contribution plans for the years ended december 31 , 2014 , 2013 and 2012 were $ 31 million , $ 32 million and $ 30 million , respectively