  This pedagogical review presents the Shell Correction Method (SCM) and
variants thereof, appropriate for describing shape deformations and electronic
shell effects, energetics and decay pathways of metal-cluster fragmentation
processes (e.g., monomer/dimer dissociation and fission). The experimental
trends are compared to the theoretical SCM interpretations, and in addition
theoretical results for fission from first-principles molecular-dynamics
simulations are discussed. Some latest insights concerning the importance of
electronic-entropy and finite-temperature effects are given special attention.
