diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/adapter/HippyMethodInvoker.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/adapter/HippyMethodInvoker.java
index a23702c25..9f5bb1b03 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/adapter/HippyMethodInvoker.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/adapter/HippyMethodInvoker.java
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ public class HippyMethodInvoker extends MethodInvoker {
 				Class<?>[] paramTypes = candidate.getParameterTypes();
 				Object[] candidateArguments = new Object[paramTypes.length];
 				int assignedParameterCount = 0;
+				boolean assigned = paramTypes.length==0;
 				for (int j = 0; j < arguments.length; j++) {
 					for (int k = 0; k < paramTypes.length; k++) {
 						// Pick the first assignable of the right type that
@@ -58,11 +59,12 @@ public class HippyMethodInvoker extends MethodInvoker {
 						if (ClassUtils.isAssignableValue(paramTypes[k], arguments[j]) && candidateArguments[k] == null) {
 							candidateArguments[k] = arguments[j];
 							assignedParameterCount++;
+							assigned = true;
 							break;
 						}
 					}
 				}
-				if (paramTypes.length <= argCount) {
+				if (assigned && paramTypes.length <= argCount) {
 					int typeDiffWeight = getTypeDifferenceWeight(paramTypes, candidateArguments);
 					if (typeDiffWeight < minTypeDiffWeight) {
 						minTypeDiffWeight = typeDiffWeight;
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/adapter/HippyMethodInvokerTests.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/adapter/HippyMethodInvokerTests.java
index 3a31cecc0..69d08856e 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/adapter/HippyMethodInvokerTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/adapter/HippyMethodInvokerTests.java
@@ -10,106 +10,134 @@ import org.junit.Test;
 
 public class HippyMethodInvokerTests {
 
-    @Test
-    public void testVanillaMethodInvoker() throws Exception {
-        TestMethodAdapter adapter = new TestMethodAdapter();
-        adapter.setTargetMethod("handle");
-        adapter.setTargetObject(new PlainPojo());
-        assertEquals("2.0.foo", adapter.getMessage(2, "foo"));
-    }
+	@Test
+	public void testVanillaMethodInvoker() throws Exception {
+		TestMethodAdapter adapter = new TestMethodAdapter();
+		adapter.setTargetMethod("handle");
+		adapter.setTargetObject(new PlainPojo());
+		assertEquals("2.0.foo", adapter.getMessage(2, "foo"));
+	}
 
-    @Test
-    public void testEmptyParameters() throws Exception {
-        TestMethodAdapter adapter = new TestMethodAdapter();
-        adapter.setTargetMethod("empty");
-        adapter.setTargetObject(new PlainPojo());
-        assertEquals(".", adapter.getMessage(2, "foo"));
-    }
+	@Test
+	public void testEmptyParameters() throws Exception {
+		TestMethodAdapter adapter = new TestMethodAdapter();
+		adapter.setTargetMethod("empty");
+		adapter.setTargetObject(new PlainPojo());
+		assertEquals(".", adapter.getMessage(2, "foo"));
+	}
 
-    @Test
-    public void testMissingArgument() throws Exception {
-        TestMethodAdapter adapter = new TestMethodAdapter();
-        adapter.setTargetMethod("missing");
-        adapter.setTargetObject(new PlainPojo());
-        assertEquals("foo.foo", adapter.getMessage(2, "foo"));
-    }
+	@Test
+	public void testEmptyParametersEmptyArgs() throws Exception {
+		TestMethodAdapter adapter = new TestMethodAdapter();
+		adapter.setTargetMethod("empty");
+		adapter.setTargetObject(new PlainPojo());
+		assertEquals(".", adapter.getMessage());
+	}
 
-    @Test
-    public void testWrongOrder() throws Exception {
-        TestMethodAdapter adapter = new TestMethodAdapter();
-        adapter.setTargetMethod("disorder");
-        adapter.setTargetObject(new PlainPojo());
-        assertEquals("2.0.foo", adapter.getMessage(2, "foo"));
-    }
+	@Test
+	public void testMissingArgument() throws Exception {
+		TestMethodAdapter adapter = new TestMethodAdapter();
+		adapter.setTargetMethod("missing");
+		adapter.setTargetObject(new PlainPojo());
+		assertEquals("foo.foo", adapter.getMessage(2, "foo"));
+	}
 
-    @Test
-    public void testTwoArgsOfSameTypeWithInexactMatch() throws Exception {
-        HippyMethodInvoker invoker = new HippyMethodInvoker();
-        invoker.setTargetMethod("duplicate");
-        invoker.setTargetObject(new PlainPojo());
-        invoker.setArguments(new Object[] { "2", "foo" });
-        invoker.prepare();
-        assertEquals("foo.2", invoker.invoke());
-    }
+	@Test
+	public void testWrongOrder() throws Exception {
+		TestMethodAdapter adapter = new TestMethodAdapter();
+		adapter.setTargetMethod("disorder");
+		adapter.setTargetObject(new PlainPojo());
+		assertEquals("2.0.foo", adapter.getMessage(2, "foo"));
+	}
 
-    @Test
-    public void testOverloadedMethodUsingInputWithoutExactMatch() throws Exception {
-        HippyMethodInvoker invoker = new HippyMethodInvoker();
-        invoker.setTargetMethod("foo");
-        invoker.setTargetObject(new OverloadingPojo());
-        invoker.setArguments(new Object[] { new TreeSet<Object>() });
-        invoker.prepare();
-        assertEquals(invoker.invoke(), Set.class);
-    }
+	@Test
+	public void testTwoArgsOfSameTypeWithInexactMatch() throws Exception {
+		HippyMethodInvoker invoker = new HippyMethodInvoker();
+		invoker.setTargetMethod("duplicate");
+		invoker.setTargetObject(new PlainPojo());
+		invoker.setArguments(new Object[] { "2", "foo" });
+		invoker.prepare();
+		assertEquals("foo.2", invoker.invoke());
+	}
 
-    public static class OverloadingPojo {
-        public Class<?> foo(List<?> arrayList) {
-            return List.class;
-        }
+	@Test
+	public void testOverloadedMethodUsingInputWithoutExactMatch() throws Exception {
 
-        public Class<?> foo(Set<?> linkedList) {
-            return Set.class;
-        }
-    }
+		HippyMethodInvoker invoker = new HippyMethodInvoker();
+		invoker.setTargetMethod("foo");
+		@SuppressWarnings("unused")
+		class OverloadingPojo {
+			public Class<?> foo(List<?> arg) {
+				return List.class;
+			}
+			public Class<?> foo(Set<?> arg) {
+				return Set.class;
+			}
+		}
 
-    public static class PlainPojo {
-        public String handle(double value, String input) {
-            return value + "." + input;
-        }
+		TreeSet<Object> arg = new TreeSet<Object>();
+		OverloadingPojo target = new OverloadingPojo();
+		assertEquals(target.foo(arg), Set.class);
 
-        public String disorder(String input, double value) {
-            return value + "." + input;
-        }
+		invoker.setTargetObject(target);
+		invoker.setArguments(new Object[] { arg });
+		invoker.prepare();
+		assertEquals(invoker.invoke(), Set.class);
 
-        public String duplicate(String input, Object value) {
-            return value + "." + input;
-        }
+	}
 
-        public String missing(String input) {
-            return input + "." + input;
-        }
+	public static class PlainPojo {
+		public String handle(double value, String input) {
+			return value + "." + input;
+		}
 
-        public String empty() {
-            return ".";
-        }
-    }
+		public String disorder(String input, double value) {
+			return value + "." + input;
+		}
 
-    public static interface Service {
-        String getMessage(double value, String input);
-    }
+		public String duplicate(String input, Object value) {
+			return value + "." + input;
+		}
 
-    public static class TestMethodAdapter extends AbstractMethodInvokingDelegator<String> implements Service {
+		public String missing(String input) {
+			return input + "." + input;
+		}
 
-        public String getMessage(double value, String input) {
-            try {
-                return invokeDelegateMethodWithArguments(new Object[] { value, input });
-            } catch (RuntimeException e) {
-                throw e;
-            } catch (Exception e) {
-                throw new IllegalStateException(e);
-            }
-        }
+		public String empty() {
+			return ".";
+		}
+	}
 
-    }
+	public static interface Service {
+		String getMessage(double value, String input);
+	}
+
+	public static class TestMethodAdapter extends AbstractMethodInvokingDelegator<String> implements Service {
+
+		public String getMessage(double value, String input) {
+			try {
+				return invokeDelegateMethodWithArguments(new Object[] { value, input });
+			}
+			catch (RuntimeException e) {
+				throw e;
+			}
+			catch (Exception e) {
+				throw new IllegalStateException(e);
+			}
+		}
+
+		public String getMessage() {
+			try {
+				return invokeDelegateMethodWithArguments(new Object[0]);
+			}
+			catch (RuntimeException e) {
+				throw e;
+			}
+			catch (Exception e) {
+				throw new IllegalStateException(e);
+			}
+		}
+
+	}
 
 }