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The themes of love, commitment and honour are explored within the context of the American Mafia. In most capitalist-focussed conventional organizations managers acquire assets and income through exchanges, through wages, direct operations and build cultures and cultural norms (Friedman, 1970). The authors argue the Mafia organization has similarities and differences to conventional organizations, differences being in how money is acquired and in ethical behaviours which could be described as counter to what is the expectation of conventional organizations. Parallel to the Christian Ten Commandments, baptism and initiation rituals existing within the Mafia are drawn that provide insights into Mafia values that guide behaviours. Honour as a key Mafia value is argued in this article as being a misnomer, being more reflective of dishonourable values of revenge, fear and punishment. Love and commitment within Mafia families¹ including roles of women are examined. It appears that love for family appears secondary to primary commitment to the Mafia Family. This paper contributes to literature on the Mafia in highlighting how ‘love’ and virtues are relative terms from which unethical acts can be justified within Mafia codes of behaviours. Also highlighted is that organizations valuing vice can survive and sustain if shrouded in secrecy rather than transparency. In the Mafia organization as in conventional organizations, codes of behaviours and commitment central to all money-making organizations are a key to survival.

The purpose of this paper was to examine and reflect on the visual social research method of photovoice, which is a qualitative research process increasingly being used by government and nongovernment organizations to enable participants who are often from disadvantaged groups, to capture their lives, experiences, and issues through photos and associated written stories. Visual methods such as photovoice provide both opportunities and risks with ethical considerations and concerns that are both ethical in nature for those taking the photographs, and for those in the photographs. There are also associated ethical challenges for researchers to conform to ethical guidelines, while conveying stories that are in the public interest. Ascertaining why visual information should be considered in relation to ethics can be argued as important, as the receiver processing the visual information will process, perceive, and respond in a variety of ways, and possibly in different ways to what the sender aimed to convey. It was argued here that due to the strong ethical guidelines for photovoice projects, it is more of a deontological-based research approach. A key ethical concern associated with photovoice is that it is touted to participants as a vehicle to achieve social change, yet there is no guarantee that this change will occur, as ultimate power rests in the hands of decision makers. Photovoice ethical processes were discussed, with reflections by the author on ethical issues that have occurred in her own research, and suggestions to organizations on what to consider to ensure a photovoice project proceeds with ethical consideration to ensure an empowering experience as an influencer for social change.

Peace on Earth has often been elusive, with more times on Earth spent at war rather than peace. This paper examines the nature of peace with its antithesis of war, focussing on the impact of war on the planet, which is not a primary consideration when war is waged. War leaves negative planetary legacies, which are of major concerns in times of population growth whilst living on a finite planet. Who should be responsible for planetary impact of war is considered, with some focus on government and other organisations. Collaborative strategies for caring for the planet through guidelines and level of departments of defence and national law-making organisations at national levels are discussed, as well as overviewing the focus and role of the United Nations and the associated Sustainability Goals. The paper concludes by suggesting that a more powerful way to influence us in our responsibilities to live peacefully, rather than a virtuous ‘should not’ approach, is the need to shift back to a moral positioning in our perspectives as humans being part of the ecosystem, so that we view ourselves as being at one with all life. In this perspective, if we incur harm to this planet, we are harming ourselves. Suggestions for living in a more peaceful way are drawn from indigenous wisdom and spiritual teachers, particularly the current Pope Francis.