Serendipity in Accounting: Teaching Students How to Navigate in a Changing World

• In Event: Teaching, Learning and Curriculum

Abstract

Serendipity is what happens when a person achieves a positive outcome due to a chance
encounter with unsought information that he has the knowledge, skill, and ability to properly
process and act upon. Learning how to consistently achieve serendipity may prove a vital skill
for the accounting profession, especially in a changing world—where accountants need to expect
the unexpected and respond to it appropriately. As this skill is not currently being taught in the
accounting classroom, this paper not only provides accounting educators with the resources to
learn about serendipity, why it matters in the accounting setting, and how to teach it in
accounting classes, but also preliminary evidence that accounting students want to learn about
serendipity.

Authors

• Marsha M Huber, Youngstown State University

• Elena Klevsky, University of New Mexico