Today’s guest blog comes courtesy of Deb Brown, one of my Peppercomm partners in crime who doubles as the very best media relations strategist in the business….

All companies – regardless of size – need a purpose, the reason why employees come to work each day and what the company stands for. The purpose is its North Star, guiding the company through difficult decisions and challenges, ensuring it remains true to its beliefs. Yet, Google’s North Star seems to be going south. According to Fortune, Google, which originally pulled out of China in 2010 because the company refused to give in to the government’s censorship demands, staying true to its focus on digital rights and an open Internet, is now seeing things through a different lens, specifically a “green” lens. Google’s “secret” project called Dragonfly is expected to enable a censored search engine and censored news aggregator app for China.

While some employees are supportive, many employees are furious. And it’s probably just a matter of time before consumers react as well as other companies that do business with the search giant.

How prepared is Google to deal with the potential fallout?  How far is Google willing to stray from its purpose as a company and what it stands for? If Google’s deal goes through, will the money be worth the hit to its reputation? And, even if the deal falls through, is the damage already done? What will Google stand for now?

While we help companies navigate these very rough waters, only the company itself can determine what it should stand for. Google may think it won’t be hurt because it’s the giant in the industry. But, every Goliath has its David.