North Korea shuts down biggest wholesale market

North Korea has shut down its largest wholesale market because of what is believed to be its concern that big markets spread capitalist influence, a South Korean monitoring group said Monday.

Authorities closed the Pyongsong market on the outskirts of the capital of Pyongyang in mid-June and set up two smaller markets in nearby districts, the Seoul-based Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights said in a newsletter provided Monday.

The move is believed to be an attempt by the totalitarian regime to "control an excessive spread of markets" while still allowing hungry people to seek food on their own at small markets, said Kim Yoon-tae, secretary-general of the group.

Kim said Pyongsong was the North's biggest wholesale market with some 30,000-40,000 stalls.

The group regularly issues a newsletter on developments inside the North, citing information collected from sources it does not identify inside the country. North Korea is one of the world's most closed nations, keeping tight control over its 24 million people without tolerating dissent or independent media.

South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles Seoul's relations with the North, said it cannot confirm the report.

Street markets have been allowed to spring up in communist North Korea in recent years as a way for hungry people to seek food and other necessities at a time when the central government is unable to adequately feed them.

But the regime has grown wary of capitalist influence resulting from the spread of markets where imported goods, including even DVDs of South Korean films and television soap operas, are sold, according to analysts, defectors and news reports.

The two Koreas technically remain at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, and possession of goods from enemy nations such as the U.S. and South Korea is tightly controlled.

South Korea's mass-circulation Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported in January that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il had ordered a crackdown on street markets, and that all manufactured goods and imported items must be sold at state-run shops.

But analysts and North Korea watchers say the North can't close all markets because its central rationing system is not working.

"North Korea is in a dilemma," said Kim of the Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights. "It does not want markets, but can't get rid of them either."

Koh Yu-hwan, an expert on North Korea at Seoul's Dongguk University, also said that the North sees "negative effects" of markets, but cannot close them all because it could leave the hungry without any means to seek food or other goods.

North Korea has relied on outside food handouts since the mid-1990s, when the economy collapsed due to natural disasters and mismanagement as aid from the former Soviet Union dried up after its collapse.

The regime introduced economic reforms in 2002, including regular street and farmers' markets. But the government backtracked in 2006 after the reforms failed to revive the economy and resulted in an influx of foreign goods.

10 Ways to Improve Business Operations

Every new day gives you a chance to move forward from your present situation. You can improve your business on a number of fronts: by increasing profits, reducing losses, getting more customers, expanding the markets, becoming more visible in the community, going public or a number of other items deemed desirable.

You must have a vision of what you want to achieve, where you want to go, and what you want the business to become. Learn ten ways you can improve your business:

1. Start the year in high gear. Take a notebook (or a laptop or PDA) and jot down your thoughts and plans for the year. It's the time to get excited to the prospects of this New Year! List down ideas on new product lines, or new projects that you want to take on. Write down your ideas on how to expand and energize your business. Only through innovation and continuing adoption of relevant new products and ideas can your business improve its competitiveness and profitability. Start the ball rolling with financers, lenders and bankers if you need to take on additional capital.

2. Dust off your business plans. Review, review and review your business plan. See how far (or little) your business has taken shape from your original idea. Many entrepreneurs write a business plan at the start, only to forget about it. Some stray away from their plans - and fail. Go find your business plans and update it. Since your business' inception, a number of factors must have changed - from the overall business climate to your product line. Take all those changes into consideration, factor in your and your family's goals, and get a clear assessment of the direction of your business. Get in touch with your business advisers, if any.

3. Rekindle your relationship with your customers. The start of the year is the perfect time to tap your customer database and get in touch with your existing customers. Whether by phone, email or letter, contact your customers to greet them "Happy New Year!" and remind them that your business is ready to serve them this year. You need to constantly look for ways to encourage repeat business. Although marketing and advertising are important to get more customers, quality, service and customer satisfaction are what keep a business successful in the long run.

4. Evaluate your pricing. Think about raising your rates. Now is the appropriate time to inform clients that your rates are going up. Just be sure to check out what the competition's doing and make sure your prices or rates aren't too low. You don't want to overprice yourself out of the market, yet you should not bear the burden of a cash flow shortage. Give your customers a month or two advance notice should you decide to increase your rates.

5. Find ways to cut your costs. Even if you have secured funding from investors, you need to constantly look for ways to reduce your costs. From making double-sided paper copies to ordering shipping supplies in bulk, you can reduce wasted material, effort, and time in making, selling, and delivering your product. The result is an improvement in your company's bottom line and an increased competitive advantage.

6. Resolve to improve your weak spots. Take stock of all aspects of your business operation and list down the areas that you want to improve. If your list of delinquent receivables is longer than Santa's list, find out how you can improve your billing and collection process. Perhaps you need to improve your record keeping to help flag you on delinquent accounts.

7. Institute measures to assess the performance of your business. Setting clear standards for your business allows you to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of your strategies. If you haven't done so in the past year, start determining how much you are making per hour of work, how effective your advertising is, and some other measurements of where your business has been. Set some benchmarks and periodically assess how your business is doing. You need to know what you consider an improvement before you can start to improve on it.

8. Keep employees involved. Good employees are hard to find; yet they are an important element in your business. Check to see if they are getting what they need and make them part of the team. Help them understand the importance of their role in your business and how their job impacts the business as a whole. Review your relationship with your employees and find ways to keep your relationship happy and avoid costly attrition.

9. Explore new markets or improve marketing. Start the year by exploring new markets for your business. Whether you are looking at targeting a new demographic or getting your business up on the web, take time to plan how you can expand your existing market. Look for ways to improve your marketing, whether by winning easy publicity, arranging an open house or preparing direct mails.

10. Find out how you can live a more balanced life. Work and business are not the be-all and end-all of your life. Learn to have fun! Spend more time with your family. Take a vacation once in a while. Engage in activities that will rejuvenate your spirit and your life. Take care of yourself, and your health. Your productivity and focus will improve if you are stress-free and healthy.

-- George Rodriguez is a staff writer of PowerHomeBiz.com.

This midnight will be have storm!

At the moment i checked internet on Wordpress.com. One post its content about storm that will be happen on Cambodia at the mid-night this day accross to 29th. And some province will be affect such as Siem reap, Battambang, Banteaymeanchey, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Kampong Thom and Kampong Cham. Now i preparing with this storm already. Oh! forget this storm called "Ket Sana".