What are the reasons behind the Catholic Church's long-lasting survival despite being rocked by numerous scandals throughout its history?

No religion lasts for ever - give it time. For business lessons, g...

Numbers.  Like Islam, when a religion have a very large number of follower world wide, then you are not going to just end it because of scandals or problems.  People view it to be part of their culture  tied with their background ethnic not just a religion alone.  Also like Islam in that way.  It doesn't end.  It is guarantee long lasting survival, the power of the numbers and the power of belief . When enough people believed a thing for long enough time, it becomes true whether is true historically or not.

Catholicism gained a foothold when the East-West Schism separated the Byzantine Church from the Roman church in 5th century.  It floundered looking for a champion in the form of Charles Martel and his grandson, Charlemagne. The archbishopric was an essential aspect of guaranteeing the church received its tithes for centuries.  Then we has conversion of some Abassid Bankers to xtianity...which thieves significant trade revenue from Baghdad and redirected it to Rome. Crusades Tax paid for the growth and expansion of Catholic Church until the last payment of a crusades tax was paid by the archdiocese of Pueblo Colorado in first half of 20th century.  The crusades tax paid for the emergence of Knights Templar as bankers in trade for Christian traders. Indeed, Catholicism has survived largely through political alignment, with larger military force,  to enforce its edicts.  This says nothing of the countless pogroms, genocides, crusades, and purges, formulated to insure allegiance of Catholics to Rome.  The consequences of the auto da Fe, and crusades still reverberate around the world for good or bad.

Its survival is so improbable, so unlikely at various times, that Catholics point to one factor: Jesus' promise to found the Church on the faith of Peter, an that the gates of Hell would not prevail over it. Or, alternatively, His promise to give the Holy Spirit as a guide and protector, to keep his communion in the truth. What can businessmen learn from the Church? Perhaps that being committed to following God to the best of your ability is not a burden on the virtuous, but is the key to long-term success.

Devout Catholics attribute the Church's longevity to God. We know we screw up, the only thing that can explain it is divine intervention. There are number of things that help explain why Catholicism anchored itself in Europe and survived scandals. 1. The message. Catholicism was able to supplant paganism because its message was more alluring. "God loves you and died for your sins" is more alluring than "sacrifice this bird or this god will wreak havoc on your city." 2. Conversion of political elites. Constantine's conversion to Catholicism didn't only stop the persecution of the Church, it made it more attractive to those seeking to gain the emperor's approval. Plus, in pagan tribes, it was understood that once a king converted to a religion, his subjects were expected to convert. That's why the conversion of King Clovis is significant, because his people converted with him. 3. Monasticism. The establishment of monasteries help to anchor the Catholic faith because they were the source of innovation, hospitality and learning. They developed farming methods, created agricultural products, provided hospitality to pilgrims, adopted orphans, nursed the sick during epidemics, and copied books. And of course monasticism provided a good base for the development of universities. 4. Learning. Universities were essentially religious bodies. Knowledge was filtered through religious lenses. Everything you knew about the world, you knew because of a cleric. 5. Artistic patronage. So much beauty in your world was due to the patronage of a cleric or of a pious Catholic nobleperson: stained glass, churches, painting, frescoes, architecture. And of course, they transmitted Catholic messages. 6. Community. The local community was organized around religious belief. Villages came together on religious holidays. They went to Church. They participated in religious rituals. This cemented the sense of belonging. A person examining Church history in books reads about The Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, the witch hunts etc, and they wonder: how did people stay Catholic? How did they put up with that? The experience of the average Catholic was not that of the heretic or the witch. And even when clergy or nobility were abusive  people didn't see their faith entirely through that prism. It's like when your country is mired in scandal. Are those scandals the sum of your experience with your country? No. You still believe in what your country stands for. It's the same thing with the Church.   I think what the Church can teach business is to have a LOT of value-added. Help people in their daily lives. Provide positive experiences. Try to be a lot of things to a lot of people. Carry an inspiring and unitive message.

Of course, as a Catholic, the first answer I must give is that the Church was founded by Christ and is guided by the Holy Spirit. Often the human leaders of the Church have betrayed that foundation and ignored that guidance, but the fact of both is why the Church will be here until the end of time. But, there are some practical organizational characteristics of the Church that I think could be useful elsewhere. 1. The Church hierarchy is flatter than you think. Parish priests answer to bishops. Some bishops answer to archbishops. All archbishops and all bishops who don't answer to an archbishop answer to the Pope. So, from the parish priest to the Vicar of Christ is, at most, three steps. This flat hierarchy gives local leaders the flexibility they need to adapt to the particular circumstances in which they find themselves (in Church doctrine, this is called subsidiarity, the idea that decisions should be made at the lowest possible level). 2. The Pope has a bureaucratic apparatus at his disposal, but it is firmly subjugated to him. The Curia is a fraught institution in the Church; many Catholics, myself included, think it needs serious reform. But, it does serve a vital role. The Pope is one man; he cannot possibly fulfill all of his responsibilities. But rather than layers of bureaucracy between him and his subordinates, he has the bureaucrats off to the side, helping him in his administrative tasks but not obstructing his view of the organization itself. The Pope can command a bishop; no member of the Curia can. Yes, the Curia can draw up decrees for the Pope's signature, but without that signature, the decrees are a dead letter. 3. Centralized authority. There are no arguments about who is in charge in the Church. The parish priest is in charge of the parish. The bishop is in charge of the diocese. The Pope leads the Church Universal. But... 4. Limited purview. The Church speaks authoritatively about things that fall within its purview. We have an entire book of doctrine. But, as I've explained to some catechumens in our RCIA program this year, the Catechism is not the Great Big Book of Everything. What is in the Catechism is Church doctrine and is pertinent to the Church. Everything else is not. You will not find the Church trying to answer scientific questions, because the Church's teaching authority is not a scientific authority. The Church does not have a financial plan for you, other than be prudent and give to the poor. The Church does not care overmuch what job you have, as long as it isn't immoral. The Church is not particular about your dress, so long as it is modest, and the Church knows that "modest" varies from place to place. In short, the Church sticks to its mission statement- the salvation of the world- and doesn't dilute its brand. Obviously the Church isn't perfect in these things, and failings have and will continue to occur. But I think those characteristics help the Church be such a resilient organization.

Simple, have God come down to earth, found the business, then personally guarantee to guide it until the end of the world, and guarantee that it will exist as His personal Body on earth until the end of time.  You don't seem to realize that the "Church" is a divine institution, and CANNOT fail, it is only strengthened by adversity.