How do I solve 20 down in Times Cryptic 29556?

Question

Accepted Answer

20 down reads "Commercial imperative the very thing academic is superior to" (6 letters); the answer is PROFIT. It's a charade: the answer breaks into parts in clue order, each part clued by a word or short phrase. No indicators needed; watch for standard abbreviations (RA = artist, US = American, IN = at home) and short synonyms. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

Commercial imperative the very thing academic is superior to (6)

20D — Commercial imperative the very thing academic is superior to (6) — PROFIT