How can I get the bright, clean look commonly found in stock portrait photography?

Many stock images have a clean look that make us recognize them as such: apart from a slightly cliched motive, I would list:

• slightly oversaturated colors
• lots of light – depth is mostly conveyed by a small depth of field and not by change in light
• soft shadows

Some examples:

• worker in factory
• business man in office
• business meeting

I believe these looks come from heavy post processing. I’d be curious about how to create the look in Lightroom, but also what to look for while taking the photos.