The questionnaire was pre-tested on postgraduate and doctoral students for content validity, comprehensiveness and readability. Once feedback from the pre-testing had been obtained, the questionnaire was pilot tested with five senior IS executives. The 2002 survey was performed from March 2002 to April 2002 and was conducted by a agency through verbal communication with IS executives. Verbal communication with IS executives is clearly important since the respondents could not self select the questions and topics. The questionnaire was sent to 400 IS executives in Croatian companies selected from the Register of the ‘400 Largest’ Croatian companies, which most likely represent the structure of Croatian economy. In this Register, companies focusing on various business activities were ranked according to 2001 annual revenues. Although they represent fewer than 1% of total number of registered companies in Croatia, these sampled companies held 73% of the equity capital in the Croatian economy in 2001, accounted for 65% of the total Croatian export balance and employed 37% of the total number of workers in Croatia. The survey received 116 responses, which represents a strong response rate of 27%. More than one-half of the responding companies are included in only two industry branches, (wholesale and retail trade 36.2% and manufacturing - 18%) and can be considered representative for the overall structure of the Croatian economy, with trade as the prevailing economic activity as opposed to manufacturing. Furthermore, the surveyed companies were evenly distributed through Croatia, though the majority are located in Zagreb, the capital and economic centre of Croatia, and its surrounding areas, such that a regional bias in the results cannot be excluded. Regional issues were of less importance concerning the 2001 annual revenues. Regarding the sample, proposed methodology and professionalism in planning and conducting the research, the results may be considered representative.
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