That a country's institutions play a key role in economic development and the formation of trade patterns. Well-functioning institutions uphold, among other things, property rights, freedom to conduct business and stable tax regimes: factors that influence can act as significant barriers to trade. A simple overview of existing data suggests that a large number of SMEs have already taken the plunge and started exporting or otherwise operating internationally. Despite the large number of SMEs, trade flows are dominated by a disproportionately small number of large multinationals. This indicates that the internationalization process of SMEs may be particularly interesting to study as small disturbances can completely stop or even reverse the internationalization process. With this in mind, Viroj Jienwatcharamongkhol intends to write three dissertation chapters on the topic "SME internationalization process: trade barriers, cultural differences and the role of institutions".