He added: 'It would be open to the UK government to sit on the sidelines, and watch while the Scottish government seeks to fend off these challenges.

BBC: UK government to back Scotland on minimum alcohol pricing

Not only should that advice serve the Obama Administration well as it seeks to negotiate the myriad of challenges facing it in the coming months, it is good advice for any executive who ends up on the winning side of an argument, particularly if that argument.

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But often Santamaria seeks out merchants to talk more generally about their businesses and find out what challenges they face.

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