Biography

Zabihollah Rezaee (Zabi) is the Thompson-Hill Chair of Excellence and Professor of Accountancy at the University of Memphis and has served a two-year term on the Standing Advisory Group (SAG) of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). He received his BS degree from the Iranian Institute of Advanced Accounting, his MBA from Tarleton State University in Texas, and his PhD from the University of Mississippi. Dr. Rezaee holds ten certifications, including Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), Certified Sarbanes-Oxley Professional (CSOXP), Certified Corporate Governance Professional (CGOVP), Certified Governance Risk Compliance Professional (CGRCP), Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) and Certified Risk Management Assurance (CRMA). He served as the 2012-2014 secretary of the Forensic & Investigative Accounting (FIA) Section of the AAA, served on Auditing Standards Committee of the Auditing Section of the AAA and is currently the editor of the Journal of Forensic Accounting Research (JFAR) one of the AAA journals. Dr. Rezaee is currently serving on advisory panel of the Hong Kong Financial Reporting Council. He has taught financial, managerial accounting, auditing, corporate governance, organizational ethics, and business sustainability at the undergraduate, graduate, and PhD levels

Professor Rezaee has published over 225 articles, made more than 250 presentations, written 11 book chapters, and been invited as keynote speaker on business sustainability, corporate governance, and forensic accounting topics. He has also published 15 books: Financial Institutions, Valuations, Mergers, and Acquisitions: The Fair Value Approach; Financial Statement Fraud: Prevention and Detection; U.S. Master Auditing Guide 3rd edition; Audit Committee Oversight Effectiveness Post-Sarbanes-Oxley Act; Corporate Governance Post-Sarbanes-Oxley: Regulations, Requirements, and Integrated Processes; Corporate Governance and Business Ethics and Financial Services Firms: Governance, Regulations, Valuations, Mergers, and Acquisitions, and contributed to several other books. His two recent books on Corporate Sustainability: Integrating Performance and Reporting, published in November 2012, won the 2013 Axiom Gold Award in the category of Business Ethics. Business Sustainability: Performance, Compliance, Accountability, and Integrated Reporting was published in October 2015 by Greenleaf Publishing. His most recent book on Audit Committee Effectiveness was published in three volumes by Business Expert Press in July 2016. His Corporate Governance aftermath of the 2007-2009 Global Financial Crisis in four volumes and Forensic Accounting in two volumes have been published by the Business Expert Press in July 2018 and March 2019 respectively. His new textbook on Business Sustainability, Corporate Governance and Organizational Ethics was published by Wiley in Fall 2019. His recent sustainability book in four volumes is published by the Business Expert Press in 2021. Several of these books are translated into other languages including Chinese, Persian, Korean, and Spanish.

Professor Rezaee’s teaching philosophy and practice reflects a dedicated commitment to student learning and often says, “If it was not for students, faculty would not be at the University and if it was not for faculty, the University would not exist.” He views the University as a community of faculty, students, administrators and staff who are gathered to support learning by creating knowledge, disseminating knowledge and implementing knowledge. Focusing on shared governance, respect for others, diversity, integrity, honesty and competency in the academic, personal, and professional affairs, and a culture of accountability and transparency. Dr. Rezaee’s approach as a scholar, practicing accountant and teacher are guided based on his six E’s of Excitement, Energy, Engagement, Efficiency, Effectiveness and Excellence

Research 

Dr. Zabihollah Rezaee, Professor & Thompson-Hill Chair of Excellence in the Crews School of Accountancy shares his latest findings in business sustainability, corporate governance, and organizational ethics.

Recent Pubications

Rezaee, Z. (2025). Business Sustainability Textbook, forthcoming from Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Spring 2025.

Rezaee, Z Homayoun, S and Rezaee, Rose. 2023. Emergence of Sustainability Reporting and Assurance: A Global Perspective,em Indian Accounting Review, Vol27, No.1, June 2023:1-24

Rezaee, Z. Homayoun, S, Mashayekhi, B, Samavat, M and Johangard, A. 2023. The Controversial Link between CSR and Financial Performance: The Mediating Role of Green Innovation, emSustainability Journal. Forthcoming 2023.

Rezaee, Z,  S. Homayoun and N. Rezaee. 2023. Business Sustainability Reporting and Assurance and Sustainable Development Goals. Temhe Managerial Auditing Journal. Forthcoming, 2023.

Rezaee, Z and  Mashayekhi, B, Dolatzarei, E., Faraji, O. 2023. Mapping the State of Expanded Audit Reporting: A Bibliometric View. Meditari Accountancy Research. Forthcoming 2023

Rezaee, Z and  F. Mohammadrezaei, and O. Faraji. 2023. Substantive or Symbolic Compliance with Regulation, Audit Fees and Audit Quality. International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Published online, May 2023.e.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41310-023-00178-4

Rezaee, Z and  M. Delshadi and M. Hosseinniakani 2023. Does Options Trading Deter Real Activities Manipulation? Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Forthcoming 2023.

Rezaee, Z and  S. Homayoun and N. Rezaee. 2023. Business Sustainability Reporting and Assurance and Sustainable Development Goals. The Managerial Auditing Journal. Forthcoming, 2023.

Rezaee, Z and  , L Tuo, S. Han, and J Yu. 2023. What Does Corporate Sustainability Reporting Imply to Auditors? Evidence from Going-Concern Opinions and Discretionary Accruals”. International Journal of Accounting Information Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJAIM-04-2022-0070

Rezaee, Z and  M H. Safarzadeh. 2023. Corporate governance and earnings quality: the behavioral theory of corporategovernance (evidence from Iran), Corporate Governance, VOL. 23 NO. 1 2023, pp. 189-218,

Rezaee, Z and  S. Homayoun, E Poursoleiman and N. Rezaee. Comparative analysis of environmental, social, and governance disclosures, Global Finance Journal, In Press, January 2023,

Rezaee, Z and  S. Lee and Z. Ling. SEC Comment Letter Disclosures and Short Sellers’ Front-running. The Accounting Review, In Press, Forthcoming, September 2023.

Presentations

Rezaee, Z and Stephen Zhou 2023. Client Importance and Auditor Independence across the Globe: The Effects of Social Trust, The Tenth International Conference of the Journal of International Accounting Research (JIAR). June 22-24, 2023, Norwich, UK

Rezaee, Z, B Mashayekhi, S. Homayoun.2023.  The Controversial Link Between CSR and Financial Performance:

The Mediating Role of Green Innovation. The Tenth International Conference of the Journal of International Accounting Research (JIAR).  June 22-24, 2023, Norwich, UK

Rezaee, Z, 2023. Attended the workshop on “the 2023 Strategies for Success in the Classroom “ sponsored by the American Accounting Association (AAA) in Boston On June 21, 2023.

Rezaee, Z. and H. Moradi.2023. Business Sustainability Worldwide: Its Education, Practice and Research

Implications. International Conference on Advanced Research in Management, Business and Finance (ICAMBF),Dubai, United Arab Emirates May 13, 2023

Rezaee, Z.2023. Business Sustainability Worldwide: Its Education, Practice and Research Implications. College of Business and Economics, Qatar University. March 20, 2023.

Rezaee, Z, K Lamber and J Lukawitz. Integrating Business Sustainability Education into Business and Accounting Curricula. the Sustainability, ESG and Accounting:  Implications for the Academy and the Profession Conference, American Accounting Association (AAA), Washington DC, February 16-19, 2023.

Rezaee, Z. A Panel on “Integration of Business Sustainability Education into Business and Accounting Curricula." the Sustainability, ESG and Accounting:  Implications for the Academy and the Profession Conference, American Accounting Association (AAA), Washington DC, February 16-19, 2023.

Rezaee, Z. A Panel on ESG Practice: A View from the Field” the Sustainability, ESG and Accounting:  Implications for the Academy and the Profession Conference, American Accounting Association (AAA), Washington DC, February 16-19, 2023.

Rezaee, Z. Emerging Business Sustainability Worldwide: Its Education, Practice and Research Implications, Bangladesh Accounting Association (BAA) and Indian Accounting Association Research Foundation (IAARF) Joint conference, Dhaka, Bangladesh, January 28th and 29th, 2023.

Rezaee, Z. Corporate Governance and Business Sustainability Worldwide: Policy, Practice and Research Implications, The Rajshahi University, Bangladesh, January 31, 2023

Rezaee, Z, Business Sustainability Factors of Performance, Risk, And Disclosure: Implications for Businesses Worldwide. The Second Conference of Iranian Accounting and Financial Science Association

January 7,2023, virtual, Tehran, Iran

Rezaee, Z. Emerging Business Sustainability Worldwide: Its Education, Practice and Research Implications, Bangladesh Accounting Association (BAA) and Indian Accounting Association Research Foundation (IAARF) Joint conference, Dhaka, Bangladesh. January 28-29, 2023.

Rezaee, Z, N. Rezaee, S. Homayoun and H. Poursoleyman. Comparative Analysis of Environmental, Social, and Governance Disclosures. International Academy of Business And Public Administration Disciplines (Iabpad) Conference, Orlando, Florida, January 02-05, 2023