a) Assume that two firms A and B are in different industries (like computer software and computer hardware). What impact will a merger between these two firms have on the number of firms in each industry after the merger? Please give an explanation.

(b) Current automobile companies are facing a shortage of computers chips used in cars to run various parts of the car, and therefore supply of cars has decreased since a necessary part(s) is not available. If an auto company like General Motors (GM) decided to buy a chip manufacturing company to ensure that it did not face a chip shortage in the future, would such a purchase lead to more concentration in either the auto industry or the chip-manufacturing industry? Please give an explanation.