diff --git a/execution/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/AbstractJobLauncher.java b/execution/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/AbstractJobLauncher.java
index 1543002c0..8f882f07e 100644
--- a/execution/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/AbstractJobLauncher.java
+++ b/execution/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/AbstractJobLauncher.java
@@ -188,6 +188,9 @@ public abstract class AbstractJobLauncher implements JobLauncher,
 	 * @throws NoSuchJobConfigurationException
 	 */
 	public ExitStatus run(String name) throws NoSuchJobConfigurationException {
+		if (name==null) {
+			throw new NoSuchJobConfigurationException("Null job name cannot be located.");
+		}
 		JobIdentifier runtimeInformation = jobRuntimeInformationFactory
 				.getJobIdentifier(name);
 		return this.run(runtimeInformation);
@@ -210,7 +213,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractJobLauncher implements JobLauncher,
 		if (jobConfigurationName != null) {
 			return this.run(jobConfigurationName);
 		}
-		return ExitStatus.FAILED;
+		throw new NoSuchJobConfigurationException("Null default job name cannot be located.");
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/execution/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/SimpleJobLauncher.java b/execution/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/SimpleJobLauncher.java
index 8226f1a3a..83e30eac2 100644
--- a/execution/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/SimpleJobLauncher.java
+++ b/execution/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/SimpleJobLauncher.java
@@ -16,8 +16,6 @@
 
 package org.springframework.batch.execution.bootstrap;
 
-import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
-import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.configuration.JobConfiguration;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.configuration.NoSuchJobConfigurationException;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.runtime.JobIdentifier;
@@ -43,8 +41,6 @@ import org.springframework.util.Assert;
  */
 public class SimpleJobLauncher implements JobLauncher {
 	
-	private static final Log logger = LogFactory.getLog(SimpleJobLauncher.class);
-
 	private volatile Thread processingThread;
 
 	private volatile boolean running = false;
@@ -114,6 +110,9 @@ public class SimpleJobLauncher implements JobLauncher {
 	 * @throws NoSuchJobConfigurationException 
 	 */
 	public ExitStatus run(String name) throws NoSuchJobConfigurationException {
+		if (name==null) {
+			throw new NoSuchJobConfigurationException("Null job name cannot be located.");
+		}
 		JobIdentifier runtimeInformation = jobIdentifierFactory.getJobIdentifier(name);
 		return this.run(runtimeInformation);
 	}
@@ -127,20 +126,11 @@ public class SimpleJobLauncher implements JobLauncher {
 	 * @see #setJobIdentifierFactory(JobIdentifierFactory)
 	 * @see org.springframework.context.Lifecycle#start()
 	 */
-	public ExitStatus run(){
+	public ExitStatus run() throws NoSuchJobConfigurationException{
 		if (jobConfigurationName==null) {
-			return new ExitStatus(false, JOB_CONFIGURATION_NOT_PROVIDED, "No JobConfiguration was " +
-					"provided to the launcher.");
-		}
-		try {
-			return this.run(jobConfigurationName);
-		}
-		catch (NoSuchJobConfigurationException e) {
-			logger.error("JobExecutorFacade failed to find a JobConfiguration" +
-					" for the provided JobIdentifier", e);
-			return new ExitStatus(false, NO_SUCH_JOB_CONFIGURATION, "JobExecutor Facade failed" +
-					"to find a JobConfiguration for the provided JobIdentifier");
+			throw new NoSuchJobConfigurationException("Null default job name cannot be located.");
 		}
+		return this.run(jobConfigurationName);
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/execution/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/support/BatchCommandLineLauncher.java b/execution/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/support/BatchCommandLineLauncher.java
index 90f18eee5..238c4b53e 100644
--- a/execution/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/support/BatchCommandLineLauncher.java
+++ b/execution/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/support/BatchCommandLineLauncher.java
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ public class BatchCommandLineLauncher {
 		String name = System.getProperty(JOB_NAME_KEY);
 		String parentKey = System.getProperty(BATCH_EXECUTION_ENVIRONMENT_KEY,
 				DEFAULT_PARENT_KEY);
-
+		
 		BatchCommandLineLauncher command = new BatchCommandLineLauncher();
 		int result = command.start(path, name, parentKey);
 		command.exit(result);
diff --git a/execution/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/SimpleJobLauncherTests.java b/execution/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/SimpleJobLauncherTests.java
index 65553d929..ee501038f 100644
--- a/execution/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/SimpleJobLauncherTests.java
+++ b/execution/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/SimpleJobLauncherTests.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package org.springframework.batch.execution.bootstrap;
 import junit.framework.TestCase;
 
 import org.springframework.batch.core.configuration.JobConfiguration;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.configuration.NoSuchJobConfigurationException;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.runtime.JobIdentifier;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.runtime.SimpleJobIdentifierFactory;
 import org.springframework.batch.execution.facade.JobExecutorFacade;
@@ -45,9 +46,10 @@ public class SimpleJobLauncherTests extends TestCase {
 		try {
 			launcher.run();
 			// should do nothing
+			fail("Expected NoSuchJobConfigurationException");
 		}
-		catch (Exception e) {
-			fail("Unexpected IllegalStateException");
+		catch (NoSuchJobConfigurationException e) {
+			assertTrue("Message should mention null job name: "+e.getMessage(), e.getMessage().toLowerCase().indexOf("null")>=0);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -75,16 +77,18 @@ public class SimpleJobLauncherTests extends TestCase {
 		TaskExecutor taskExecutor = new SimpleAsyncTaskExecutor();
 		Runnable launcherRunnable = new Runnable() {
 			public void run() {
-				System.out.println("run called");
-				launcher.run();
-				System.out.println("run finished.");
+				try {
+					launcher.run();
+				} catch (NoSuchJobConfigurationException e) {
+					// TODO Auto-generated catch block
+					e.printStackTrace();
+				}
 			}
 		};
 
 		taskExecutor.execute(launcherRunnable); 
 		
 		// give the thread a second to start up
-		System.out.println("first sleep");
 		Thread.sleep(100);
 		assertTrue(launcher.isRunning());
 		launcher.stop();
@@ -112,7 +116,6 @@ public class SimpleJobLauncherTests extends TestCase {
 			try {
 				// 1 seconds should be long enough to allow the thread to be
 				// run and for interrupt to be called;
-				System.out.println("Facade sleep called.");
 				Thread.sleep(300);
 				//return ExitStatus.FAILED;