Alhazmi Naief

Experimental and numerical investigations on the retrofitting of half-scale wall-like reinforced concrete (RC) columns were conducted. The axial compressive behavior of the control un-strengthened wall-like RC column (having a section aspect ratio of four) was compared with the strengthened columns. The columns were strengthened by employing external confinement through fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) wraps and/or steel/FRP strips with/without modification of the column cross-section. The characteristics of axial load versus displacement and strain curves were discussed. The experimental results were also compared with the numerical models, which were first validated against the previous studies. A reasonably close agreement was achieved between the numerical and the test results with an error in prediction of less than 10% for the peak load. With the different schemes used for confinement, the enhancement in the load capacity of strengthened columns was in the range of 30–42% of the control column. In addition, significant ductility improvements were seen in schemes that employed the FRP wraps after shape modification.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical framework to improve understanding of physical asset management (AM) practices contained in well-known AM standards and guidelines.Design/methodology/approach: Textual thematic analysis of physical AM standards and guidelines was carried out after developinga prioritemplate derived from existing theories in management knowledge. Triangulation to validate the developed theoretical framework was used based on a deductive logic of inquiry equipped with semi-structured interview. The interviewees were managers of physical asset departments of 15 out of 24 ministries of Saudi public sector.Findings: The developed theoretical framework called “systematic asset management practices” (SAMP) explains the logic behind physical AM practices contained in well-known standards and guidelines in terms of the essence of directly related practices for the life cycle of physical assets. SAMP shows that all AM standards and guidelines use a similar logic for managing the life cycles of physical assets.Practical implications: AM developers can use the SAMP theoretical framework to develop and improve AM guidelines. In addition, the framework enables practitioners to further understand differences among standards and guidelines in addition to their potential future development.Originality/value: This paper provides an original theory for AM practices, which originally evolved from informal to formal on the basis of practitioners’ logic.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the characteristics of the current asset management (AM) practices across the Saudi public sector (SPS). Design/methodology/approach The study uses a mixture of inductive and deductive logic, including, at the outset, developing a framework tool to assess the SPS using thematic analysis. The framework is based on seven well-known international AM standards and guidelines. Later, a structured interview with 196 items is used to capture characteristics of SPS AM practices. Univariate and interpretive analyses were performed. Findings AM practices across the SPS are characterised by the following: in the majority of ministries, practices are below expectations; performance indicators are unrealistic and incomprehensive; public servants lack awareness of AM practices; the majority of the public sector overlooks the existence of professional standards; policies are not consistent across the sector; and finally, there is an over-reliance on public servants’ experience. Research limitations/implications Policy implications – current AM practices across the SPS need to be established, in particular by introducing policies and professional standards. Originality/value Physical assets are vital resources for organisations and, in turn, countries. There are no extant studies about AM practices across the SPS, and thus the evident need for such studies to develop current SPS knowledge, particularly given the notable increase in the country’s physical assets since its emergence and the formal AM practice development worldwide.