Shear enhancement occurs in reinforced concrete beams when loads are applied within around 2d of supports where d is the beam effective depth. This thesis examines shear enhancement in beams that are loaded both within 2d of supports and at 3d where shear enhancement is minimal. This loading arrangement (LA) frequently occurs in practice but has not previously been studied. The research combines laboratory testing, nonlinear finite element analysis (NLFEA) and analytical work. In total twelve beams, without and with shear reinforcement, were tested in three groups of four. Digital image correlation was used to determine the kinematics of the critical shear crack in each beam. The resulting crack displacements were inserted into constitutive models to estimate the contributions to shear resistance of aggregate interlock, dowel action, residual tensile strength, flexural compression zone and shear reinforcement. The relative contribution of each shear transfer action is shown to vary during loading and be dependent on the location and shape of the critical shear crack. For short-span beams, the dominant shear resisting mechanism is the flexural compression zone. For slender beams, the prevalent mechanism at peak load is aggregate interlock for beams without links and shear reinforcement otherwise. The measured beam strengths are evaluated against the predictions of NLFEA, strut-and-tie models (STMs), recent shear models from the literature and various international design standards. A novel STM is developed for beams simultaneously loaded with concentrated loads positioned within and outside 2d of supports. The accuracy of the STM predictions is improved by relating strut strength to the longitudinal strain in the reinforcement at the bottom node. The considered STMs are significantly more accurate than the considered design codes for the tested beams. Tests and NLFEA suggest that the shear resistance of beams with shear reinforcement depends on the angle of the failure plane.