PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Aramark Corp., the nation's largest food-service company, said Tuesday that it agreed to be acquired by an investment group led by its longtime chief executive for $6.3 billion, plus the assumption of about $2 billion in debt.

Aramark shareholders will get $33.80 in cash for each share, an improvement upon the $32-per-share initial bid made by the same group in May. The purchase price represents a 20 percent premium over Aramark's closing stock price on April 28, the last trading day before the first bid.

An Aramark spokeswoman said Chairman and Chief Executive Joseph Neubauer will contribute up to $250 million. The deal is expected to close by early next year.

UC libraries join Google's book-scanning project

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The University of California is joining Google Inc.'s book-scanning project, throwing the weight of an additional 100 academic libraries behind an ambitious venture that's under legal attack for alleged copyright infringement.

The deal, to be announced today, covers all of the libraries in UC's 10-campus system, marking the biggest expansion of Google's effort to convert millions of library books into digital form since a group of authors and publishers sued last fall to derail a project launched 20 months ago.

UC joins three other major U.S. universities -- Stanford, Michigan and Harvard -- that are contributing their vast library collections to Google's crusade to ensure reams of knowledge written on paper makes the transition to the digital age. The New York Public Library and Oxford University also are allowing portions of their libraries to be scanned.

Jack In The Box earnings rise

SAN DIEGO -- Jack In The Box Inc. on Tuesday reported that net earnings increased to $27.8 million, or 77 cents per share, in the third quarter ended July 9, compared with $23.9 million, or 66 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago. Results exceeded the company's guidance of 65 to 67 cents per share and analysts' estimate of 66 cents.

Year-to-date net earnings totaled $74.9 million, or $2.09 per share, compared with $70 million, or $1.89 per share, for the first three quarters of fiscal 2005.

-- Wire reports

Productivity growth slows

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The efficiency of American workers slowed sharply in the spring, while a key gauge of labor costs rose at the fastest rate since late 2004.

The Labor Department reported that productivity -- the amount of output per hour of work -- slowed to an annual rate of increase of 1.1 percent in the April-June quarter, down from a 4.3 percent rate of increase in the first three months of the year.

Labor costs, as measured by each unit of output, rose at an annual rate of 4.2 percent in the spring, the fastest increase since the final three months of 2004 and up sharply from a 2.5 percent rate of increase in the first three months of this year.

SYS receives $25M in orders

SAN DIEGO -- SYS Technologies has received delivery orders totaling $25 million from SPAWAR Systems Center Charleston to provide engineering and technical services for Net-Centric Capabilities.

-- Wire reports