"Commercial activities deal with buying and selling of goods, the exchange of commodities and the distribution of finished goods." Explain.

The statement, given by Evlyn Thomas, highlights the essential nature of commercial activities. It can be explained as follows:

1. Buying and Selling of Goods (Trade) — The core commercial activity is trade, which involves the buying and selling of goods between sellers and buyers. Trade may be internal or external.

2. Exchange of Commodities — Commerce facilitates the exchange of commodities between persons living in different places. Goods produced at one place are exchanged with consumers living elsewhere. This exchange may involve different currencies in case of foreign trade.

3. Distribution of Finished Goods — Once goods are manufactured by industries, they need to be distributed to consumers across various locations. Distribution involves moving goods from factories to wholesalers, then to retailers, and finally to consumers.

4. Removal of Hindrances — Commercial activities remove the various hindrances in the exchange of goods — hindrance of person (through trade), place (transport), time (warehousing), risk (insurance), finance (banking), and knowledge (advertising).

5. Creation of Utilities — Commerce creates time utility (through warehousing), place utility (through transport), and possession utility (through trade).

6. Link Between Producers and Consumers — Commerce establishes a vital link between producers (industries) and consumers. Without commerce, the goods produced by industries would not reach the people who need them.

Hence, the statement correctly captures the essence of commerce.