Why companies last?
lion.co.uk
lion.co.uk
I guess the Amundsen-Scott South Pole and others are often repeated but still, they are well worth remembering and can be applied to business.
Procter and Gamble does well because of low leverage, and a culture that values long term investment in the company's brands and people. Same with GE, IBM and many others of the Collins list. I would add Berkshire Hathaway to the list.
Unfortunately I find that concepts like Passion, Best in Class and Economic Engine to be hard to measure.
One of the comments on your post had to do with innovation. It's very hard thing to identify is what's the right level of innovation - too much and you're chasing every fad, not enough and you're stuck in the mud like Xerox.
Another example of a company that seems to manage to manage innovation is 3M. They've got a history of unveiling innovative products each decade without fail and have grown steadily over the years. Often under-rated IMO.