Definition of Commercial Organization

The term commercial organization is general and applies to any group(s) with a particular set of skills, priorities, strategies, and resources that organize to collectively achieve the "specific aim" of making a profit. Ultimately, the first concern of commercial organizations is to make a profit for the owner, shareholders, or both, by providing products and services.
To properly understand what a commercial organization is requires being aware of the many "for profit" activities commercial organizations participate in. Although not an exhaustive list, notable types of commercial organizations specialize in entertainment, commercial broadcasting, banking, agriculture and organized crime.

Entertainment

The majority of entertainment organizations produce, provide or otherwise aid in the production or creation of entertainment activities for customers in hopes of realizing a profit. Examples of commercial organizations implementing entertainment business models are nightclubs, sport activities, live music venues and movie theaters. The common theme uniting these examples are the physical locations where customers actually "go to" and "pay for" the particular type of entertainment.

Broadcasting

Commercial broadcasting involves selling advertisements (airtime) to other entities, and in so doing, making a profit. Business models for commercial broadcasting organizations may also include pay-per-view television programming and donation-based models. Although commercial broadcasting organizations contribute significantly to entertainment activities, two main factors set commercial broadcasting apart from entertainment organizations: (1) broadcasting isn't a platform strictly for entertainment purposes and (2) broadcasting is a platform where recipients of the service aren't required to go to a specific location to participate.

Banking

Commercial banking provides financial services to businesses, accepts savings and checking deposits, and provides lending services to individuals such as mortgage loans. Profit generated for commercial banks involves collecting interest from all monies loaned, fees associated with financial services, and fees associated with the secure handling of customers' money.

Agriculture

Commercial agriculture is an organization specializing in cultivating and processing crops or livestock for large-scale distribution for the purpose of making a profit. Products produced from commercial agricultural activities are sold to supermarkets or wholesalers that are often the first point of contact with consumers.

Criminal Organizations

Organized crime is also an example of a commercial organization's primary aim to make a profit by producing, distributing, selling or reselling illegal products, or performing illegal activities. For example, a criminal organization may implement business models that involve seeking out discrepancies within the marketplace, and in so doing, capitalizing on selling products (illegal drugs) where the perceived value of those products are highly unstable or otherwise controversial.

References

• United States Department of Agriculture
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Commercial Organization