diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/support/GenericApplicationContextFactory.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/support/GenericApplicationContextFactory.java
index 70e6049cf..27235927f 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/support/GenericApplicationContextFactory.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/support/GenericApplicationContextFactory.java
@@ -16,11 +16,6 @@
 
 package org.springframework.batch.core.configuration.support;
 
-import java.io.IOException;
-import java.util.ArrayList;
-import java.util.Arrays;
-import java.util.List;
-
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanFactoryPostProcessor;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.ConfigurableListableBeanFactory;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultListableBeanFactory;
@@ -33,6 +28,11 @@ import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.List;
+
 /**
  * {@link ApplicationContextFactory} implementation that takes a parent context and a path to the context to create.
  * When createApplicationContext method is called, the child {@link ApplicationContext} will be returned. The child
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ public class GenericApplicationContextFactory extends AbstractApplicationContext
 	/**
 	 * Create an application context factory for the resource specified. The resource can be an actual {@link Resource},
 	 * in which case it will be interpreted as an XML file, or it can be a @Configuration class, or a package name.
+	 * All types must be the same (mixing XML with a java package for example is not allowed and will result in an
+	 * {@link java.lang.IllegalArgumentException}).
 	 * 
 	 * @param resources some resources (XML configuration files, @Configuration classes or java packages to scan)
 	 */
@@ -58,21 +60,24 @@ public class GenericApplicationContextFactory extends AbstractApplicationContext
 	@Override
 	protected ConfigurableApplicationContext createApplicationContext(ConfigurableApplicationContext parent,
 			Object... resources) {
+		ConfigurableApplicationContext context;
+
 		if (allObjectsOfType(resources, Resource.class)) {
-			 return new ResourceXmlApplicationContext(parent, resources);
+			 context = new ResourceXmlApplicationContext(parent, resources);
+		} else if (allObjectsOfType(resources, Class.class)) {
+			 context =  new ResourceAnnotationApplicationContext(parent, resources);
+		} else if (allObjectsOfType(resources, String.class)) {
+			 context = new ResourceAnnotationApplicationContext(parent, resources);
+		} else {
+			List<Class<?>> types = new ArrayList<Class<?>>();
+			for (Object resource : resources) {
+				types.add(resource.getClass());
+			}
+			throw new IllegalArgumentException("No application context could be created for resource types: "
+													   + Arrays.toString(types.toArray()));
 		}
-		if (allObjectsOfType(resources, Class.class)) {
-			 return new ResourceAnnotationApplicationContext(parent, resources);
-		}
-		if (allObjectsOfType(resources, String.class)) {
-			 return new ResourceAnnotationApplicationContext(parent, resources);
-		}
-		List<Class<?>> types = new ArrayList<Class<?>>();
-		for (Object resource : resources) {
-			types.add(resource.getClass());
-		}
-		throw new IllegalArgumentException("No application context could be created for resource types: "
-				+ Arrays.toString(types.toArray()));
+
+		return context;
 	}
 	
 	private boolean allObjectsOfType(Object[] objects, Class<?> type) {
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/support/GenericApplicationContextFactoryTests.java b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/support/GenericApplicationContextFactoryTests.java
index d3ac8d9ac..2a04a7cfe 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/support/GenericApplicationContextFactoryTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/support/GenericApplicationContextFactoryTests.java
@@ -15,10 +15,6 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.batch.core.configuration.support;
 
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
-
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.Job;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.job.JobSupport;
@@ -27,11 +23,17 @@ import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanFactoryPostProcessor;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanPostProcessor;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory;
 import org.springframework.context.ConfigurableApplicationContext;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
 import org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.core.io.ClassPathResource;
 import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
 import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
 
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
+
 /**
  * @author Dave Syer
  * 
@@ -164,6 +166,36 @@ public class GenericApplicationContextFactoryTests {
 		assertTrue(autowiredFound);
 	}
 
+	@Test(expected = IllegalArgumentException.class)
+	public void testDifferentResourceTypes() throws Exception {
+		Resource resource1 = new ClassPathResource(ClassUtils.addResourcePathToPackagePath(getClass(),
+			"abstract-context.xml"));
+		GenericApplicationContextFactory factory = new GenericApplicationContextFactory(resource1, Configuration1.class);
+		factory.createApplicationContext();
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testPackageScanning() throws Exception {
+		GenericApplicationContextFactory factory = new GenericApplicationContextFactory("org.springframework.batch.core.configuration.support");
+		ConfigurableApplicationContext context = factory.createApplicationContext();
+
+		assertEquals(context.getBean("bean1"), "bean1");
+		assertEquals(context.getBean("bean2"), "bean2");
+		assertEquals(context.getBean("bean3"), "bean3");
+		assertEquals(context.getBean("bean4"), "bean4");
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testMultipleConfigurationClasses() throws Exception {
+		GenericApplicationContextFactory factory = new GenericApplicationContextFactory(Configuration1.class, Configuration2.class);
+		ConfigurableApplicationContext context = factory.createApplicationContext();
+
+		assertEquals(context.getBean("bean1"), "bean1");
+		assertEquals(context.getBean("bean2"), "bean2");
+		assertEquals(context.getBean("bean3"), "bean3");
+		assertEquals(context.getBean("bean4"), "bean4");
+	}
+
 	public static class Foo {
 		private double[] values;
 
@@ -172,4 +204,30 @@ public class GenericApplicationContextFactoryTests {
 		}
 	}
 
+	@Configuration
+	public static class Configuration1 {
+		@Bean
+		public String bean1() {
+			return "bean1";
+		}
+
+		@Bean
+		public String bean2() {
+			return "bean2";
+		}
+	}
+
+	@Configuration
+	public static class Configuration2 {
+		@Bean
+		public String bean3() {
+			return "bean3";
+		}
+
+		@Bean
+		public String bean4() {
+			return "bean4";
+		}
+	}
+
 }