In October 2016, a photo went viral in which Chinese executives of the Korean corporation Samsung were kowtowing at a sales meeting in Heibei Province. The picture created a scandal; online bloggers claimed South Korean executives “forced” their Chinese counterparts to kowtow to apologize for product failure with one of their products, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Kowtowing has different meanings in China and in Korea and debate on the meaning of bowing arose. The case discusses the scandal and encourages students to reflect on cultural differences and their effects on business practices.