It signifies moral fortitude or a dilemma involving a clearly defined right or wrong answer. We make judgments based on what we've been taught about right and wrong all our lives. We all know that it's not right to hit people when we're angry, or to steal, or to buy stock with insider information. Yet, despite the value systems passed down by our parents or studied in academia, our perceptions of right and wrong are watered down by countless other sources, most noticeably our peers and the entertainment media. Ethics seem to come into play only on issues that we can clearly identify as having ethical consequences.
Ethics means simply doing what's right.
All of us, in our every day lives, must make ethical decisions. Not only are ethical dilemmas difficult for us to recognize, but we also often deny that our decisions or actions could have ethical implications. In fact, the more ambiguous the issue, the less likely we are to consider it ethical. Often, it's easier to avoid making an ethical decision because the decision may require taking a stand on an uncomfortable issue or confronting someone else. In addition, we may not know how to handle an ethical dilemma and thus avoid taking a risk.