Tzachi Zach

Tzachi Zach is a Professor of Accounting at the Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University, and has been the department chair since August 2025. He has also served as the Academic Director of the Master of Accounting (MAcc) Program. Before coming to Ohio State, Tzachi was an Assistant Professor of Accounting at Washington University in St. Louis, where he spent six years. He holds a PhD in Business Administration (Accounting) from the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester and obtained his B.A. and M.A. from Tel Aviv University in Israel.

Tzachi’s research interests include financial reporting and its relation to capital markets, earnings management, financial analysts’ usage of accounting information, and audit quality. His research has been published in top accounting and finance journals, including the Journal of Accounting & Economics, The Accounting Review, Review of Financial Studies, and Review of Accounting Studies. Recent and forthcoming publications include "Analysts' Forecasting Models and Uncertainty About the Past" in the Review of Accounting Studies and "Sell-Side Analysts' Assessment of ESG Risk" in the Journal of Accounting & Economics. He serves as an Editor of the Journal of Accounting, Auditing, and Finance and is on the Editorial Boards of Contemporary Accounting Research and The International Journal of Accounting. A case study he co-authored, "Corruption in the Auditor Inspection Process: The Case of KPMG and the PCAOB," won the AAA's 2020 Accounting Ethics Award for Best Innovation for Teaching.

Tzachi's teaching interests are in financial accounting. At Fisher, he has been teaching in the Accounting Honors Program, most recently the Intermediate Accounting II class. In addition, Tzachi teaches Accounting Policy & Research in the Master of Accounting (MAcc) program, a unique course that introduces students to academic accounting research. He has won several teaching awards at both Washington University in Saint Louis and Ohio State University.

AWARDS

• EY MAcc Teacher of the year, 2013.
• Alpha Kappa Psi Fisher College of Business Faculty Member of the Year, Ohio State University, 2011.
• Undergraduate Program Teaching Award, Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University, 2011

• PhD, University of Rochester
• MS, University of Rochester
• MA, Tel Aviv University
• BA, Tel Aviv University

• Zach, Tzachi, Francine McKenna, Mikhail Pevzner, and Amy Sheneman. Audit Quality in the Face of a Crisis: Evidence from the Audit Inspection Scandal. British Accounting Review, Forthcoming.
• Zach, Tzachi, and Min Park. Analysts’ Forecasting Models and Uncertainty About the Past. Review of Accounting Studies 30 (2025), 2376–2418.
• Zach, Tzachi, Min Park, and Aaron Yoon. Sell-Side Analysts’ Assessment of ESG Risk.  Journal of Accounting & Economics 79 (2025), 101759
• Zach, Tzachi,  Mathew Zuparic, and Duy Khuu. Information theory and player archetype choice in Hearthstone. Information Sciences 559 (2021), 236-250.
• Zach, Tzachi, Ohad Kadan, Leonardo Madureira, and Rong Wang. Sell Side Analysts' Benchmarks. The Accounting Review 95.1 (2020) :211-232. Download Benchmark Data
• Zach, Tzachi, Daniel Cohen, Shail Pandit, and Charles Wasley. Measuring Real Activity Management. Contemporary Accounting Research 37.2 (2020): 1172-1198.
• Zach, Tzachi, Anne Beatty, Lin Cheng. Non-recurring items in debt contracts. Contemporary Accounting Research 36.1 (2019): 139-167.
• Zach, Tzachi,  Zahn Bozanic and Lin Cheng. Soft Information in Loan Agreements. Journal of Accounting, Auditing, and Finance 33.1 (2018): 40-71.
• Zach, Tzachi, Nicholas Dopuch, Raj Mashruwala, and Chandra Seethamraju. "The Impact of a Heterogenous Accrual-Generating Process on Empirical Accural Models."  Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance. 27.3 (2012): 386-411.
• Zach, Tzachi, Ohad Kadan, Leonardo Maduiera, and Rong Wang. “Analysts’ Industry Expertise.” Journal of Accounting and Economics. 54.2 (2012): 95-120.
• Zach, Tzachi, Daniel Cohen, and Thomas Lys. (Book Chapter). “Net Stock Anomalies.” Handbook of Investment Anomalies: Translating Market Inefficiencies into Effective Investment Strategies. Ed. Leonard Zacks. John Wiley Publishing, 2011. Page 129.
• Zach, Tzachi, Daniel Cohen, Masako Darrough, and Rong Huang. “Warranty Reserve: Contingent Liability, Informational Signal, or Earnings Management Tool?” The Accounting Review. 86.2 (2011): 569-604.
• Zach, Tzachi, Shail Pandit, and Charles Wasley. "Information Externalities along the Supply Chain: The Economic Determinants of Suppliers’ Stock Price Reaction to their Major Customers’ Earnings Announcements. Contemporary Accounting Research. 28.4 (2011): 1304-1343.
• Zach, Tzachi, Shail Pandit, and Charles Wasley. “The Effect of R&D Inputs and Outputs on the Relation between the Uncertainty of Future Operating Performance and R&D Expenditures.” Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance. 26 (2011): 121-144.
• Zach, Tzachi, Daniel Cohen, and Raj Mashruwala. “The Use of Advertising Activities to Meet Earnings Benchmarks: Evidence from Monthly Data.” Review of Accounting Studies. 15.4 (2010): 808-832.
• Zach, Tzachi, Richard Frankel, and Chandra Seethamraju. “GAAP goodwill and debt contracting efficiency: Evidence from net-worth covenants.” Review of Accounting Studies. 13.1 (2008): 87-118.
• Zach, Tzachi, S.P. Kothari, and Jowell Sabino. “Implications of survival and data trimming on tests of market efficiency.” Journal of Accounting & Economic. 39.1 (2008): 129-161.
• Zach, Tzachi. “Political events and the stock market: Evidence from Israel.” International Journal of Business. 8.3 (2003): 243-266.

• Advertising and the IPO Price Revision Process, June 2024, co-authored with Michal Herzenstein, Dan Horsky, and Yi-Lin Tsai.
• Auditor-Client Compatibility and Audit Quality, April 2024, co-authored with Mert Erinc.
• What Drives the Value of Analysts’ Advice? The Role of Earnings and Growth Forecasts, February 2024, co-authored with Ohad Kadan, Leonardo Madureira and Rong Wang.
• Deconstructing the PCAOB: Using organizational economics to assess the state of a regulator,November 2023, co-authored with Francine McKenna, Mikhail Pevzner and Amy Sheneman.