Communication is an extremely significant element in any department or organization. It is through communication that various problems concerning certain issues are solved. There are different forms of communication and excellent strategies are undertaken to ensure people manage excellent communication. Technology continues to advance communication through introduction of unique methods. Because of technology, the art of telepresence in communication has become real. It is not necessary people be close to each other for excellent communication. Technology allows people to create their presence at a point of meeting though they are physically far away. This form of technology has come with moral and ethical implications to the users on different platforms. In the medical world, telepresence has created exclusive moral and ethical implications that need to be reconsidered following their sensitivity in undertaking different processes within the field. To the corporate world, telepresence is causing massive effects to the organizations and in return attracting massive losses.
The medical world is extremely serious following the sensitivity of the matters it deals with daily. Therefore, it requires proper care and concern for people awaiting its services. Following lack of adequate professionals for various conditions in the field, telepresence has become proper way of addressing problems. They are cheaper and they provide immediate solutions to a problem (Bracken & Skalski, 2010).
Telepresence is usually a method of communication that overlooks privacy. It requires people to have a connection through a communication device or a video. It is usually difficult to define what people require to do to maintain the necessary privacy. For example if patients are treated in the same room, and the form of communication is through a video or a phone for enquiries, it is easy to have private information about an individual leaking to the public. This is unethical according to the standards of the field. The information about a patient solely belongs to the doctor and the patient (Song, Fiore & Park, 2007). Therefore, in such a situation telepresence erodes the ethical standards of the medical field.
At some point, the medical professional may need to diagnose the patient through the tele-device. This mainly depends on the condition that the patient has and how he explains it to the physician. If it is through a video, the patient will have to show the doctor what he is suffering from and must particularly show the part with the infection. It does not matter the condition of the point of infection but the patient has to show it and necessary measures remain vital at this point. In this regard, the infected part of the body may the sexual parts (Wylie, 2011). Since it may be hard to control the viewers or listeners of such videos, the privacy of the patient is overlooked. People of different age go to hospitals including children and it becomes a bit hard to control their eyes at such a time. Exposing some of the situations to children erodes their mind as the images they watch may stick into their minds (Bracken & Skalski, 2010). This extends the immorality that telepresence may implicate in the medical field.
According to the ethical standards that govern medical practices, the physicians must have necessary skills and abilities to touch the patient for diagnoses of certain conditions such as fever, which is usually characterized by change in body temperatures. Use of telepresence rubs off these conditions and it becomes hard for full diagnoses of a patient. This overlooks the role of a doctor to a patient. The patient cannot access the full care that he or she deserves form the doctor. In turn, the patient may be treated the wrong condition. This is unethical and the doctor is subject to any form of punishment according to the ethical standards defined by the medical field (Wylie, 2011). This is further explanation of the unethical implications of telepresence.
Companies are managed through existence of excellent strategies. The method of execution of strategies in a business is extremely significant to ensure proper delivery. At some point, it is difficult to have direct communication with the various stakeholders and the strategies have to be communicated through other media other than the direct communication. In most cases, the method that is chosen may be through a videoconference of teleconference (Wylie, 2011). This form of communication is not appropriate for delivery of private or strategic messages. The strategies of an organization must be communicated through a creative technique that will avoid the publicity of the strategies to the competitors. However, at some point the only suitable method may be through telepresence. This makes the information about the plans of the company leak to the competitors. According to the ethical standards of the corporate world, the company should not leak the activities or business strategies to the competitors. However, the use of videoconferencing and teleconferencing may be a platform to break the ethical standards of the corporate world (Conti, 2007).
In business, the quality of services and goods sold are of paramount significance. In most cases, during the transaction conversation is extremely important. There must be proper conversation between the customer and the seller. This means that these people must be in close proximity for proper negotiation. At some point, negotiation may require telepresence if the individuals are not near each other. It is unlikely that the individuals will hold a successful meeting if they are not close to each other. This is because some of the conversations or discussions will require physical conviction. One of the ethical standards of the corporate world is to ensure satisfaction of the customers. It would be unethical to use video or teleconferencing if the clients will not be satisfied with the business activities being undertaken (Conti, 2007).
Moral and ethical standards of a field are exclusively critical in defining its success. Communication is one of the main elements that influence the ethical and moral standards of an organization. Through technology, there have been improvements in the communication sector with issues such as telepresence being present. This issue of technology has had massive moral and ethical implications to areas such as medical practices and the corporate world. Since this form of communication is becoming famous to people, they should remain sensitive to their ethical and moral concerns.
References
Bracken, C. C., & Skalski, P. D. (2010).Immersed in media: telepresence in everyday life. New York: Routledge.
Conti, J. (2007). I see live people [telepresence]. Engineering Management,17(3), 12.
Song, K., Fiore, A. M., & Park, J. (2007). Telepresence and fantasy in online apparel shopping experience. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management,11(4), 553-570.
Wylie, B. (2011). Telepresence Technologies. New Delhi: World Technologies.
