C: Function

Definition: The business function of the organisation to which the resource relates.

Obligation: Mandatory.

What is this element?

Function is used to identify the business role of the resource.

Functions are the major units of activity that organisations pursue in order to meet their mission and goals. They are defined in the Australian Records Management Standard [AS 4390 : 1996] as 'the largest unit of business activity in an organisation...'.

Specific business units of an organisation will generally be responsible for particular functions. For agency descriptions, this element relates to the functions exercised by the agency - the delivery of which are the reason for the agency's existence - not support services such as administration or human resources activities.

This element is essential for searchers who want to find the range of resources across all government agencies relating to a particular government business function or activity, as more than one agency may have responsibilities to fulfil a function.

In some focused agencies, with limited functions, it is possible that many resources will have the same function terms in their metadata records. You should use the most specific term(s) applicable, remembering that the level of description is intended to help people find information from across the whole range of government. For internal use, or within a sector, a more detailed level of breakdown may be appropriate.

Function and other elements

Function is used in conjunction with Subject to give searchers the complete picture. The table below shows examples of the relation between Function and Subject.

[Refer also Section B.7.1]

Repetition

You should not use more than two terms from Functions of New Zealand (FONZ). Function may also be repeated in order to use terms from other vocabularies.

Qualifiers

Controlled Vocabularies

Recommended best practice is to select a value from a controlled vocabulary. Resources being described within the NZ Government should use the Functions of New Zealand (FONZ) thesaurus. Use of this encoding scheme is mandatory for metadata prepared for use by the Government Web Portal.

If an organisation-specific functional thesaurus exists, it may be used if appropriate for the uses being made of the metadata.

Organisation-specific functional thesauri should be developed in accordance with the processes described in AS / ISO 15489 : 2002. Again, the NZGLS Maintenance Agency would need to approve any agency thesauri, which would need to follow the same principles as the government-wide thesaurus.

Functions of New Zealand (FONZ) encoding scheme:

• Values in FONZ are hierarchically structured from general to more specific terms.
• Use the relationships, scope notes and definitions in FONZ to help you choose the most appropriate term.
• You should use the most specific term(s) applicable.
• Agencies might want to suggest Function descriptor values to supplement the FONZ thesaurus. The Thesaurus Advisory Group [TAG] will evaluate these.

Any other vocabulary or scheme that is used should be notified to the NZGLS maintenance agency.

Examples