Z-Score

Statistical measure used to assess financial distress or credit risk

Finance or Analytics

Z-Test

Statistical test used to determine if two population means are different

Statistics or Analytics

Zebra Company

A sustainable and ethical business, as opposed to a high-risk, high-growth “unicorn”

Startup Culture

Zenith

The peak or highest point, often used metaphorically to express brand superiority

Branding or Marketing

Zero Defects

Approach to reduce product defects to zero through continuous improvement

Quality Management

Zero Inventory Strategy

Strategy to minimize inventory levels and rely on JIT (Just-in-Time) delivery

Supply Chain or Lean Operations

Zero Latency

Instant response time, often used in cloud services and networking

Technology or Operations

Zero Party Data

Data a customer intentionally shares with a brand (e.g., surveys, preferences)

Marketing or Data Privacy

Zero-Sum Game

Scenario where one party's gain equals another party's loss

Strategy or Economics

Zettabyte

Unit of digital information = 1 billion terabytes; relevant in big data

Data or IT Infrastructure

Zip Code Targeting

Localized marketing based on geographic postal codes

Marketing or Advertising

Zombie Company

Firm that earns just enough to operate but not to pay its debt

Finance or Economics

Zone Pricing

Different pricing for products based on geographic regions

Logistics or Pricing

Zoning

Government regulation of how land can be used (e.g., commercial, industrial)

Real Estate or Legal

Zoning Variance

Permission to use land in a way that deviates from local zoning rules

Legal or Real Estate

Zoom Fatigue

Burnout resulting from excessive virtual meetings

HR or Workplace Culture