Which one of the following is not a modern technique of controlling function ?

Critical point control

The correct answer is option (4)- Critical point control.

Critical Point Control: It is neither economical nor easy to keep a check on each and every activity in an organisation. Control should, therefore, focus on key result areas (KRAs) which are critical to the success of an organisation. These KRAs are set as the critical points. If anything goes wrong at the critical points, the entire organisation suffers. For instance, in a manufacturing organisation, an increase of 5 per cent in the labour cost may be more troublesome than a 15 percent increase in postal charges.

The various techniques of managerial control may be classified into two broad categories: traditional techniques, and modern techniques.

Traditional techniques are those which have been used by the companies for a long time now. However, these techniques have not become obsolete and are still being used by companies. These include:
(a) Personal observation
(b) Statistical reports
(c) Breakeven analysis
(d) Budgetary control

Modern techniques of controlling are those which are of recent origin and are comparatively new in management literature. These techniques provide a refreshingly new thinking on the ways in which various aspects of an organisation can be controlled. These include:
(a) Return on investment
(b) Ratio analysis
(c) Responsibility accounting
(d) Management audit
(e) PERT and CPM
(f) Management information system