This glossary gives SPM Business terms with Malay equivalents, a worked example and a pair of terms that students mix up. Examples use fictional businesses.
Core business terms
| Term (English / Malay) | Meaning | Example | Often confused with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income / Pendapatan | Money a business earns | Dapur Sari earns RM10 000 from sales | Profit |
| Expenditure / Perbelanjaan | Money spent to run the business | Rent and wages | Drawings |
| Profit / Untung | Income minus expenditure | RM10 000 less RM9 150 is RM850 | Income |
| Surplus / Lebihan | Income above expenditure in a period | RM850 for the month | Cash in hand |
| Capital / Modal | Money or assets put in to start or grow | Owner adds RM5 000 | Income |
| Cost / Kos | What is paid to make or provide a product | Flour for buns | Price |
| Price / Harga | What the customer pays | RM1.50 a bun | Cost |
| Function / Fungsi | A main group of business work | Finance, marketing, operations, HR | Role |
| Role / Peranan | A position with responsibility | Accounts clerk | Activity |
| Activity / Aktiviti | A task that is carried out | Preparing invoices | Role |
| Finance / Kewangan | Managing the money of the business | Checking cash before payday | Marketing |
| Marketing / Pemasaran | Finding and keeping customers | A school breakfast box offer | Operations |
| Operations / Operasi | Making the product or providing the service | Baking and packing | Sales |
| Human resources / Sumber manusia | Recruiting, training and supporting staff | Training a new helper | Payroll only |
| Internal factor / Faktor dalaman | Something the business controls | Staff skills | External factor |
| External factor / Faktor luaran | Something outside the business’s control | A new competitor | Internal factor |
Command words
| Word / Malay | What the answer must do | Wrong habit |
|---|---|---|
| State / Nyatakan | Give a short fact or point | Writing a paragraph |
| Explain / Terangkan | Give a point and a reason | Writing only a label |
| Suggest / Cadangkan | Offer a fitting idea for the case | Giving a general tip |
| Justify / Justifikasikan | Support a choice with evidence | Repeating the choice |
| Compare / Bandingkan | Show similarities and differences | Describing each separately |
How to learn the terms
Pick one row a day. Write your own example from a shop you know, then say the Malay or English partner aloud.
Then check the last column. If you can explain how the two terms differ, the term is ready. The terminology bridge tool also helps when you learn in one language and answer in another.
To see the terms in use, read the SPM Business guide and the functional areas chapter. For a teacher who works in the language you prefer, see online one-to-one Business tuition.