Business & Finance Glossary: Z
5 terms starting with Z, from a glossary of 559 definitions covering intangible assets, valuations, and key financial concepts.
Z-Score (Altman)
A financial model developed by Edward Altman that combines five weighted financial ratios to predict the probability of corporate bankruptcy. The Altman Z-Score is used by investors and creditors as an early warning system, though it can understate the financial health of intangible-intensive firms whose assets are not fully reflected on the balance sheet.
Read more →Zero Trust Architecture
A cybersecurity framework based on the principle that no user, device, or system should be automatically trusted, whether inside or outside the network perimeter. Zero trust requires continuous verification of identity and access rights for every request, micro-segmentation of network resources, and least-privilege access controls. Adoption is driven by NIST SP 800-207 guidance and the shift to cloud and remote work environments.
Read more →Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB)
A budgeting method in which all expenditures must be justified from scratch each period, rather than being based on prior-period budgets with incremental adjustments. ZBB forces rigorous scrutiny of intangible investment decisions — including R&D, marketing, and training — and can improve capital allocation discipline when applied alongside productivity measurement.
Read more →Zero-Party Data
Data that a customer intentionally and proactively shares with a business, including preferences, purchase intentions, communication choices, and personal context. Unlike first-party data (which is observed from behaviour), zero-party data is explicitly volunteered through mechanisms such as preference centres, surveys, quizzes, and account settings. It is considered the highest-quality data for personalisation because it directly reflects stated customer intent, and its collection inherently complies with consent-based privacy requirements.
Read more →Zombie Fund
A private equity or venture capital fund that continues to operate beyond its intended life, holding illiquid portfolio companies that have neither achieved exit nor been written off. Zombie funds present governance challenges, carry ongoing management costs, and often reflect unrealised intangible asset potential that has failed to convert into realisable value.
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