Supply-chain or contract agriculture, by which farmers supply specific outlets or companies under strict growing and marketing arrangements, has become widespread: in 1997, two-thirds of all such contracts involved small farmers, but they accounted for only 27% of the total value of production.

ECONOMIST: Farming

Citing concerns about softening tech hardware end demand, RBC Capital analyst Amit Daryanani this morning turned cautious on the IT supply chain, downgrading shares of the contract electronics manufacturers Benchmark Electronics and Sanmina, and reducing estimates and price targets for various other stocks.

FORBES: Sanmina, Benchmark Off; RBC Cautious On Tech Supply Chain

Apple relies on the same supply chain of parts supplies, chip foundries, and contract manufacturers everybody else does.

FORBES: Apple's Tim Cook Has A Point: Building Multimedia Rich Apps For Android Is A Pain

For Song to fulfill his dream, he must overcome the same challenge that faces all Asian contract manufacturers aiming to move up the value chain.

FORBES: Companies, People, Ideas

Further, the firm will also try to control costs by trying to improve contract management, expand a globally coordinated supply chain initiative and reduce energy consumption, among other targets, Rollinson said.

FORBES: Kinross: Main Focus Will Be On Increasing Margin And Prioritizing Cash Flow

Referring to previous 'cash-for-favours' claims, Mr Collins said the smallpox contract could be "another coincidence in a long chain of coincidences after Mittal, Enron and Formula One".

BBC: Cash link to smallpox contract denied

At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the ALU options chain for the new July contracts and identified the following put contract of particular interest.

FORBES: ALU July Options Begin Trading

At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the MHR options chain for the new July contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest.

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