Marketing and Operations Analytics Group

The Marketing and Operations Analytics Group (MOAG) is an interdisciplinary research cluster at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University.

About

Bringing together academics and practitioners across marketing, operations, data science, and computer science, MOAG advances data-driven decision-making across business, operational, and public service systems.

Research pillars

Market and customer analytics
- Customer behaviour, channel dynamics, resource allocation, prosocial behaviour, and AI marketing.
Operational and service systems analytics
- Service delivery quality, pricing/inventory optimisation, and social and health care analytics.
Sustainable and public systems transformation
- Circular economy participation, healthy food consumption, and community finance analytics.

Methodological toolkit

Econometric modelling, natural language processing (NLP), machine learning, large language models (LLMs), optimisation, experimental design, and behavioural analytics.

Collaboration and network

Key partners in the GW4 Business Analytics and AI (BAAI) alliance alongside Bath, Bristol, and Exeter, working closely with public/private funding organisations and international research groups.

Aims

MOAG aims to establish Cardiff Business School as a leading international centre for data-driven decision-making through five core objectives:

High-impact research: Conduct empirically grounded research targeting reputable, top-tier journals.
Strategic partnerships: Build active collaborations with industry partners and public sector bodies.
External funding: Secure competitive grants via UKRI/KTP, Welsh Government, ESRC, NIHR, and Cardiff Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAA).
GW4 network expansion: Co-lead the GW4 BAAI alliance (Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, and Exeter), establishing inaugural conferences and joint regional research projects.
Talent and impact: Support PhD researchers and early career researchers (ECRs) while delivering actionable decision-support tools, practitioner workshops, and policy briefings.

Research

Our planned projects target three core domains:

The marketing–operations interface: Connecting demand generation with supply chain efficiency alongside corporate partners.
Health, social care, and public service analytics: Streamlining workflows, improving service equity, automating quality monitoring, and curbing operational waste.
Circular economy systems analytics: Modelling citizen behaviour to drive sustainable, community-wide participation.

Across these initiatives, MOAG ensures measurable real-world impact by delivering actionable tools and briefings for key stakeholders in the retail, healthcare, public policy, and environmental sectors.

We translate complex research outputs into decision-support dashboards, targeted policy briefs, practitioner reports, industry roundtables, and public engagement initiatives.

Projects

Funded projects

Launching the GW4 Business Analytics & AI (BAAI) Group and hosting the inaugural BAAI conference

Investigators: Dr Simon Jang (PI), Dr Danni Zhang (Co-I) and Dr Ahmed Almoraish (Co-I)
Description: The BAAI initiative establishes a new research and innovation network across the four GW4 universities (Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, and Exeter), bridging marketing/customer analytics and operational/supply chain analytics. Bringing together academics, industry professionals, and key stakeholders, the network advances data-driven decision-making through business analytics, data science, and AI. The inaugural BAAI Conference on 20 November 2026 at Cardiff Business School serves as a focal point for structuring industry-academic collaborations and showcasing ECR and PhD research.
Collaboration with organisations: University of Bath, University of Bristol, & University of Exeter
Funding: Cardiff University’s EPSRC IAA
Duration: September 2026 – November 2026

EAT FAIR: Building the evidence for nutrition social prescribing

Investigators: Dr Caroline Verfuerth (Cardiff University) and Professor Cornelia Guell (University of Exeter)
Description: Awarded a £245,000 NIHR Programme Development Grant, the EAT FAIR project co-designs a robust evaluation framework for nutrition social prescribing schemes across the UK. To address food insecurity and diet-related health inequalities, this 18-month project delivers three linked workstreams: (1) synthesising lessons from existing food prescription schemes; (2) conducting a rapid evidence review and Delphi study with national/local experts; and (3) co-developing a systems-informed evaluation model using participatory systems mapping.
Collaborators: Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming, WellFed Cornwall, and Food Sense Wales.
Funding: NIHR Programme Development Grant
Duration: August 2026 – January 2028

Data-driven strategic decision-making in charity marketing: A management KTP between Cerebra and Cardiff University

Investigators: Dr Simon Jang, Dr Denitsa Dineva, and Professor Yukun Lai
Description: Supported by a £180,000 UKRI/KTP grant, this project helps Cerebra—a UK charity for children with brain conditions—build data-driven marketing capabilities. Relying on individual supporters for 87% of its income, Cerebra is using this KTP to transform donor acquisition through modern digital segmentation, reduce donor churn via retention analytics, and integrate its CRM with digital channels to lower acquisition costs and maximise marketing ROI.
Collaborators: Cerebra Charity
Funding: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) & Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)
Duration: August 2023 – August 2025

Data privacy in AI-based emerging technologies in healthcare: A perspective in telemedicine

Investigators: Professor Bahman Rostami-Tabar and Dr Simon Jang
Description: This project addresses rising patient data privacy risks in AI-driven healthcare systems. Leveraging Federated Learning and Privacy by Design methodologies, the team is building scalable, global frameworks to protect patient data across digital health platforms in regions including China, the U.S., and Europe.
Funding: China Scholarship Council (CSC)
Duration: October 2024 – December 2028

Training

We offer structured training programs designed to equip academics and practitioners with technical and methodological skills to turn raw data into actionable insights:

PhD streams: Joint interdisciplinary supervision, the monthly M&S Journal Club, the LOM Paper Club, and the GW4/Academy of Marketing webinar series.
Funding pathways: Active doctoral recruitment via WGSSS, the China Scholarship Council (CSC), and project-linked KTP/SMART studentships.
Grant training: Faculty workshops on proposal writing (KTP, ESRC, NIHR), GW4 cross-institutional development sessions, and industry-academic challenge sandpits.

For more information about our training opportunities, please contact the group coordinator.

Events

Inaugural GW4 Business Analytics & AI (BAAI) Conference 2026

Date: Friday 20 November 2026
Location: Cardiff Business School

Supported by the EPSRC and Cardiff University Harmonised IAA, this inaugural conference marks the launch of the GW4 BAAI alliance across Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, and Exeter. The event brings together academic researchers, industry leaders, doctoral scholars, and journal editors to bridge the gap between customer and supply chain analytics.

Keynote addresses: Senior insights from academic leaders and industry executives.
Meet the Editors session: Direct publishing guidance from editors of top-tier journals (including POM, M&SOM, and JPIM).
ECR and doctoral showcase: Dedicated lightning presentation slots and cross-institutional networking.
Industry sandpits and roundtable: Collaborative challenge sessions exploring funding applications.