The applicability of cyclical and conflict models of retail change to Taiwan

Cyclical and conflict models of retail institutional development, originating in western societies, were tested in an oriental setting, Taiwan. The concepts of wheel of retailing and retail life cycle are not good descriptors of change in Taiwan. The retail accordion and the polarization principle provide models more in accord with developments in Taiwan. The two main models of the conflict theory, the recursive model and the dialectical model, also seem to have relevance for understanding institutional change in Taiwan. The implications of using these western models in non-western settings are discussed.