diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/AbstractStepParser.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/AbstractStepParser.java
index e5e364813..a431d4027 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/AbstractStepParser.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/AbstractStepParser.java
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractStepParser {
 		}
 
 		if (StringUtils.hasText(jobFactoryRef)) {
-			bd.getPropertyValues().addPropertyValue("jobParserJobFactoryBeanRef", jobFactoryRef);
+			bd.setAttribute("jobParserJobFactoryBeanRef", jobFactoryRef);
 		}
 
 		return bd;
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/CoreNamespaceBeanDefinitionUtils.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/CoreNamespaceBeanDefinitionUtils.java
index 8e250f20c..693ddd779 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/CoreNamespaceBeanDefinitionUtils.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/CoreNamespaceBeanDefinitionUtils.java
@@ -20,10 +20,7 @@ import org.springframework.batch.core.step.AbstractStep;
 import org.springframework.beans.PropertyValue;
 import org.springframework.beans.PropertyValues;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanFactory;
-import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.ConfigurableListableBeanFactory;
-import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
-import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 
 /**
  * @author Dan Garrette
@@ -32,87 +29,29 @@ import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 public class CoreNamespaceBeanDefinitionUtils {
 
 	/**
-	 * @param bd a {@link BeanDefinition}
+	 * @param name the name of a bean definition in the bean factory
 	 * @param beanFactory a {@link BeanFactory}
 	 * @return TRUE if the bean represents an {@link AbstractStep} (or
-	 *         {@link StepParserStepFactoryBean}).
+	 * {@link StepParserStepFactoryBean}).
 	 */
-	public static boolean isAbstractStep(BeanDefinition bd, ConfigurableListableBeanFactory beanFactory) {
-		return isBeanClassAssignable(bd, new Class<?>[] { StepParserStepFactoryBean.class, AbstractStep.class },
-				beanFactory);
+	public static boolean isAbstractStep(String name, ConfigurableListableBeanFactory beanFactory) {
+		if (beanFactory.isFactoryBean(name)) {
+			return beanFactory.isTypeMatch(BeanFactory.FACTORY_BEAN_PREFIX + name, StepParserStepFactoryBean.class);
+		}
+		return beanFactory.isTypeMatch(name, AbstractStep.class);
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * @param bd a {@link BeanDefinition}
-	 * @param types an array of {@link Class} objects.
-	 * @param beanFactory a {@link BeanFactory}
-	 * @return TRUE if the given {@link BeanDefinition}'s bean class is one of
-	 *         the given types (or a subtype thereof).
-	 */
-	public static boolean isBeanClassAssignable(BeanDefinition bd, Class<?>[] types,
-			ConfigurableListableBeanFactory beanFactory) {
-		Class<?> stepClass = getClass(bd, beanFactory);
-		for (Class<?> type : types) {
-			if (ClassUtils.isAssignable(type, stepClass)) {
-				return true;
-			}
-		}
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	/**
-	 * @param bd a {@link BeanDefinition}
-	 * @param beanFactory a {@link BeanFactory}
-	 * @return The class of the bean. Search parent hierarchy if necessary.
-	 *         Return null if none is found.
-	 */
-	public static Class<?> getClass(BeanDefinition bd, ConfigurableListableBeanFactory beanFactory) {
-		// Get the declared class of the bean
-		String className = bd.getBeanClassName();
-		if (StringUtils.hasText(className)) {
-			try {
-				return ClassUtils.forName(className);
-			}
-			catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
-				throw new RuntimeException(e);
-			}
-		}
-		else {
-			// Search the parent until you find it
-			String parentName = bd.getParentName();
-			if (StringUtils.hasText(parentName)) {
-				return getClass(beanFactory.getBeanDefinition(parentName), beanFactory);
-			}
-			else {
-				return null;
-			}
-		}
-	}
-
-	/**
-	 * @param bd a {@link BeanDefinition}
+	 * @param name a bean definition name
 	 * @param propertyName the name of the property
 	 * @param beanFactory a {@link BeanFactory}
 	 * @return The {@link PropertyValue} for the {@link JobRepository} of the
-	 *         bean. Search parent hierarchy if necessary. Return null if none
-	 *         is found.
+	 * bean. Search parent hierarchy if necessary. Return null if none is found.
 	 */
-	public static PropertyValue getPropertyValue(BeanDefinition bd, String propertyName,
+	public static PropertyValue getPropertyValue(String name, String propertyName,
 			ConfigurableListableBeanFactory beanFactory) {
-		PropertyValues jobDefPvs = bd.getPropertyValues();
-		if (jobDefPvs.contains(propertyName)) {
-			// return the property
-			return jobDefPvs.getPropertyValue(propertyName);
-		}
-		else {
-			// Search the parent until you find it
-			String parentName = bd.getParentName();
-			if (StringUtils.hasText(parentName)) {
-				return getPropertyValue(beanFactory.getBeanDefinition(parentName), propertyName, beanFactory);
-			}
-			else {
-				return null;
-			}
-		}
+		PropertyValues jobDefPvs = beanFactory.getMergedBeanDefinition(name).getPropertyValues();
+		return jobDefPvs.getPropertyValue(propertyName);
 	}
+
 }
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/CoreNamespacePostProcessor.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/CoreNamespacePostProcessor.java
index 0506d3a6f..1f4bf7187 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/CoreNamespacePostProcessor.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/CoreNamespacePostProcessor.java
@@ -56,10 +56,10 @@ public class CoreNamespacePostProcessor implements BeanPostProcessor, BeanFactor
 	public void postProcessBeanFactory(ConfigurableListableBeanFactory beanFactory) throws BeansException {
 		for (String beanName : beanFactory.getBeanDefinitionNames()) {
 			BeanDefinition bd = beanFactory.getBeanDefinition(beanName);
-			MutablePropertyValues pvs = (MutablePropertyValues) bd.getPropertyValues();
-			if (pvs.contains(JOB_FACTORY_PROPERTY_NAME)) {
-				if (CoreNamespaceBeanDefinitionUtils.isAbstractStep(bd, beanFactory)) {
-					String jobName = (String) pvs.getPropertyValue(JOB_FACTORY_PROPERTY_NAME).getValue();
+			if (bd.hasAttribute(JOB_FACTORY_PROPERTY_NAME)) {
+				MutablePropertyValues pvs = (MutablePropertyValues) bd.getPropertyValues();
+				if (CoreNamespaceBeanDefinitionUtils.isAbstractStep(beanName, beanFactory)) {
+					String jobName = (String) bd.getAttribute(JOB_FACTORY_PROPERTY_NAME);
 					PropertyValue jobRepository = getJobRepository(jobName, beanFactory);
 					if (jobRepository != null) {
 						// Set the job's JobRepository onto the step
@@ -72,7 +72,6 @@ public class CoreNamespacePostProcessor implements BeanPostProcessor, BeanFactor
 						pvs.addPropertyValue(JOB_REPOSITORY_PROPERTY_NAME, jobRepositoryBeanRef);
 					}
 				}
-				pvs.removePropertyValue(JOB_FACTORY_PROPERTY_NAME);
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -85,8 +84,7 @@ public class CoreNamespacePostProcessor implements BeanPostProcessor, BeanFactor
 	 *         is found.
 	 */
 	private PropertyValue getJobRepository(String jobName, ConfigurableListableBeanFactory beanFactory) {
-		BeanDefinition jobDef = beanFactory.getBeanDefinition(jobName);
-		return CoreNamespaceBeanDefinitionUtils.getPropertyValue(jobDef, JOB_REPOSITORY_PROPERTY_NAME, beanFactory);
+		return CoreNamespaceBeanDefinitionUtils.getPropertyValue(jobName, JOB_REPOSITORY_PROPERTY_NAME, beanFactory);
 	}
 
 	/**