From Predictive Modelling to Prescriptive Strategy: The Evolving Role of Analytics in HR and Marketing

Abstract

In a volatile business environment defined by talent shortages, shifting consumer expectations, and digital 
acceleration, the role of analytics in organisational strategy has undergone a fundamental transformation. Once 
confined to descriptive reporting, analytics has advanced into predictive modelling and, more recently, into 
prescriptive strategy formulation. This study explores the evolving role of analytics across human resource 
management (HRM) and marketing, investigating how predictive insights can be systematically converted into 
prescriptive interventions that enhance workforce stability and customer engagement simultaneously. Drawing 
on a primary dataset of 360 respondents—including employees and customers from the technology, retail, and 
financial services sectors—the research applies a combination of statistical and machine learning techniques to 
forecast critical outcomes such as employee turnover risk and customer churn probability. Logistic regression, 
Random Forest, and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) models are employed, with performance compared 
through accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and ROC-AUC metrics. Complementary analyses, including 
correlation, chi-square testing, and t-tests, provide interpretive depth. The findings reveal that skill adaptability, 
workload flexibility, and digital proficiency significantly influence HR-related outcomes, while campaign 
responsiveness, cross-channel engagement, and segmentation alignment emerge as the strongest predictors of 
marketing success. Random Forest achieved the highest predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.88), while SHAP-based 
feature importance analysis highlighted the centrality of both structural flexibility in HR and personalised 
engagement in marketing. This research demonstrates that predictive analytics, when embedded within a 
prescriptive framework, enables organisations to not only anticipate risks but also design targeted interventions—
 ranging from reskilling programmes to personalised marketing strategies. The study contributes to academic 
discourse by integrating HR and marketing analytics within a unified predictive–prescriptive framework and 
offers practitioners actionable pathways for fostering workforce resilience and customer loyalty.