Capital budgeting techniques are used to analyze whether to accept or reject large investment projects. These techniques include payback period, net present value (NPV), and internal rate of return (IRR). Payback period measures the length of time to recover investment costs, with shorter periods preferred. NPV compares the present value of cash inflows to initial investment, preferring projects with values greater than zero. IRR equates project NPV to zero and prefers projects with rates higher than the cost of capital.