That’s certainly the perspective American Public Media’s Marketplace holds toward American business. A recent report looked at the effect the BP oil spill has had on socially responsible investing.

At the heart of the conversation was the notion that oil and gas companies are inherently bad and therefore any direct – or indirect – investment in them is inherently irresponsible.

Host Kai Ryssdal even said at one point: “Socially responsible investment in oil and gas companies — help me understand that.”

The absurdity of this report, however, did not go unnoticed by listeners. And, as it turns out, pointing fingers at oil and gas didn’t go over so well. One listener described the segment as “naïve, inflammatory, and absurd,” adding, “your article portrayed this entire industry as an investing pariah.”

Apparently, American investors are more skeptical of the notion that industry has to give back to society in some way other than by providing their goods and services. Almost all the criticisms of the report centered on Marketplace‘s fuzzy definition of “socially responsible.”

One listener added this comment:

“Since when are oil and gas companies by their very nature not environmentally responsible? Alternative energy sources can tend to be arguably more damaging to the environment than oil. And ‘socially responsible’ used to be more concerned with things like not sending money to oppressive [sic] African dictatorships than with the environment, anyway.”

Attention NPR: It looks like you’re going to have to be a lot more responsible in your reporting.

Newsweek has a great article about how the down economy is actually helping change the culture of corporate America, by encouraging more flexible workdays:

Now, one in five Americans works mostly nonstandard hours—nights, weekends, or rotating shifts. Experts believe that statistic will balloon in coming years as the Great Recession accelerates a cultural shift in the corporate world, allowing more employees to tailor their work schedules to preference, position, and personal life.

One explanation for this shift has to do with changes in industry, as the economy becomes “less reliant on manufacturing and more dependent on so-called knowledge-based industries,” that don’t require rigid shift schedules.

But another explanation – not mentioned directly in the article – but discussed by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman in their book Womenomics is that more “employers are introducing alternative work schedules, furloughs, unpaid vacation time, and reduced schedules specifically in response to the economic situation.  These firms see flexibility as a way to keep up morale and avoid mass layoffs.”

The fact is employees value time and flexibility, often as much as money.

Certainly, professionals often have more choices – and more flexibility – than other workers.  That’s why men and women benefit when we allow employers and employees to enter freely into contracts that suit both parties’ needs.

Too often we’re eager to regulate the workplace to make it more “fair.” But in reality anti-discrimination legislation and other burdensome regulations actually end up making the cost of employment higher and reducing flexibility.  And that’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it…

It’s hard to avoid the green message  – it permeates television, movies, online social networking sites, corporate messaging and the fashion industry. And businesses regularly seek out ways to balance the environment with their bottom line.  But the question is: With all this eco-focused media and entertainment, are Americans still giddy for green?

As it turns out, the public is not as concerned about the environment as the green industry might like.  According to recent poll numbers, Americans rank the economy (way) ahead of the environment. A March Gallup poll found 53 percent of respondents believe “economic growth should be given priority even if the environment suffers to some extent.” While a much smaller 38 percent thought protecting the environment should take priority – even if that means curbing economic growth.

Gallup is not alone in its findings – several other polls confirm these results. For instance, the Pew Research Center found that 44 percent of Americans view protecting the environment as a top priority for the president and Congress. Yet, 83 percent cited strengthening the economy.

For now, appealing to the public through being green might help boost revenue, but this is one style that just might not be made to last.

As Booth points out, “giving back to society” is the fundamental idea behind most discussions of corporate responsibility. But it’s fair to ask, don’t businesses by their very nature give to society? Certainly, every profitable business, by definition is giving something to society that people want – indeed, something they want so much they’re willing to pay for it. They might even be willing to work for the money to pay for it, thereby doubly benefiting society.

The primary flaw in most thinking about corporate responsibility is that it assumes that all profit-making corporations are rapacious predators (on the environment, natural resources, the disadvantaged –  you fill in the blank). CR thus becomes, effectively, a way of paying reparations for their otherwise nasty behavior.

It’s pretty certain, however, that the people who invented and are continually refining the computer chip (to give one example) have done more for human well-being and happiness, as well as the environment, the husbanding of natural resources and the disadvantaged (you fill in the blank) than all the CR campaigns since the beginning of the world put together — and they all did it to make a profit.

According to an article in this week’s WSJ, schools like Boston College’s Carroll School of Management and California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business have become valuable resources for companies seeking advice on managing effective CR campaigns.

The Carroll School recently created an “invite-only” online networking site for businesses interested in exchanging ideas with peers.  Others, like MIT’s Sloan School of Management, offer companies custom-designed courses to fit their CR needs.

In a time of economic uncertainty creativity is a must.  And B-schools have learned corporate social responsibility is not only big in business; it’s good business for them, too.