Organized crime presents a severe threat to societies by committing a large variety of illegal actions. Their typical crimes include theft, gambling, drug/arms trafficking, sex businesses, and money laundering (Abadinsky, 2012). I believe that the primary reason for choosing these criminal actions is their profitability. Since people committing these crimes rarely think about morality, they choose those activities that will get them the largest amount of money possible. In addition, these profits might include political power, influence, and other intangible aspects that are valued in the criminal world (Abadinsky, 2012). Another reason for choosing these actions is the vulnerability of buyers. For example, drug and gambling addicts frequently cannot control their urges and are prepared to spend large sums of money. Criminal organizations exploit this vulnerability to generate more profits and expand their scope of influence. Since morality is out of the question in most cases, this tactic is profitable in many types of crimes.
Organized crime also negatively affects legitimate businesses by participating in money laundering, bribery, and corruption. It creates an unfavorable business environment, where companies have to resort to illegal measures or cooperation with criminal organizations to succeed in the market (Abadinsky, 2012). Criminals might also infiltrate legitimate businesses to dismantle them from within or control their money output. An example of this interaction is the way the yakuza used to collaborate with the banking industry and collected protection money from various firms in Japan (Abadinsky, 2012). In other words, if legitimate businesses wanted to strive in the market, they had to cooperate with the yakuza and lose a portion of their profits (Abadinsky, 2012). While it is no longer the case in contemporary Japan, this example clearly shows how organized crime can undermine honest businesses.
Reference
Abadinsky, H. (2012). Organized crime (10th edition). Wadsworth Cengage Learning.