Most businesspeople know that McDonald's is a classic example of a business system that is extremely well-built, efficient and profitable.  I ran across an interesting video game the other day, that lets you try to run your own virtual McDonald's franchise, complete with such business issues as employees, inventory, sales, production, marketing, and more.  It lets you control every aspect of the business (even some that you would not normally control in a franchise), from the usage of land for cattle and grain production to selecting national marketing campaigns to win the approval of a board of directors.

Nothing can substitute for real-world experience, of course, but I believe this is the next best thing.  And the great part about it is that since it is virtual, you can run several franchises into the ground while learning without it costing you a penny.  Here's the game: