Doing your "PEST control" ensures good health and a strong pulse for your business. P.E.S.T analysis essentially means macro environmental evaluations such as Political & Legal, Economic, Social and Technological.

Economic environment could make or break your business. In 2008, the US sub-prime issue has become the main trigger for global financial crisis which not only affected the housing market but nearly every facet of the economy by virtue of its spillover effect. The interest rate at time of writing, is 2 percent, a far cry from 4 percent a year ago. Banks tighten their lending belts and business loan borrowing become more difficult to obtain. But if you manage to get that business loan, you should be incurring a much lower interest repayment.

One Social factor which is rapidly growing in importance is the environment. And making money does not have to be at the expense of the planet. Investors can still prosper while incorporating factors such as climate change, sustainable development, human rights and labour laws into their investment decisions.

Business consulting companies have sprung into the scene with business models dedicated to integrating environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) considerations into management and investment processes. And nearly every large corporation nowadays are involved in one way or another in reducing carbon emission to the ozone and in dealing with climate change.

Oil, gas and mining companies were amongst the first to seriously consider these issues within their business strategies, but it has taken a fast track beyond strategies. As business landscape evolves, the companies have begun evaluating their initial success and failures, tweaking the evolving business model for the best fit. For instance, Shell is executing plans in energy security, to be a socially responsible corporate citizen. Many more industry related companies are jumping on the bandwagon in Social responsibility investment and business management .

And in view of the changing business landscape, investors are collectively beginning to incorporate these factors into their investments, henceforth, forcing existing businesses in related industries to adapt. They term this as Responsible Investments and are confident that environmentally conscious corporations are better placed for out performance in the long term.

Understand that climate changes and energy management could well be the next wave for mankind as well as a key business potential area for your business.

And the future wave of investment trend would be Socially Responsible Investment . We are entering an astoundingly fast pace of change within the responsibility industry with investors from every region taking action on environmental, social and governance issues.

So, is Embracing the Environment Your Investment Prerogative yet?