Business Risks Worldwide and Zambia’s Rating

Investors and business operators encounter a multitude of risks in countries where their operations are undertaken. Existing pieces of literature on business risks are devoted to analyses of risks associated with business operations undertaken in foreign countries. In this article, however, such risks are conceived of as any and all unfavorable factors to which existing and potential investors and business operators are exposed in domestic markets and/or foreign countries or regions.This article is designed to provide a brief survey of the following themes relating to business risks obtaining in both domestic and foreign markets which investors and business operators would need to be aware of: (a) potential business risks worldwide; (b) the assessment of business risks sifted or drawn from the potential business risks, and why such risks ought not to be ignored; (c) the process by which country ratings may be determined; and (d) an example of a rating for one country—that is, the Republic of Zambia. Concluding notes are presented at the end of the article