diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/StepScope.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/StepScope.java
index 966158e22..c0f8c455e 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/StepScope.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/StepScope.java
@@ -273,6 +273,7 @@ public class StepScope implements Scope, BeanFactoryPostProcessor, Ordered {
 				BeanDefinition definition = (BeanDefinition) value;
 				if (scope.equals(definition.getScope())) {
 					String beanName = BeanDefinitionReaderUtils.generateBeanName(definition, registry);
+					// Exit here so that nested inner bean definitions are not analysed
 					return createScopedProxy(beanName, definition, registry, proxyTargetClass);
 				}
 			}
@@ -280,9 +281,11 @@ public class StepScope implements Scope, BeanFactoryPostProcessor, Ordered {
 				BeanDefinitionHolder holder = (BeanDefinitionHolder) value;
 				BeanDefinition definition = holder.getBeanDefinition();
 				if (scope.equals(definition.getScope())) {
+					// Exit here so that nested inner bean definitions are not analysed
 					return createScopedProxy(holder.getBeanName(), definition, registry, proxyTargetClass);
 				}
 			}
+			// Nested inner bean definitions are recursively analysed here
 			value = super.resolveValue(value);
 			return value;
 		}
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/StepScopeIntegrationTests.java b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/StepScopeIntegrationTests.java
index 773cba66e..099d668eb 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/StepScopeIntegrationTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/StepScopeIntegrationTests.java
@@ -19,19 +19,22 @@ import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Qualifier;
 import org.springframework.test.context.ContextConfiguration;
 import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner;
 
-
 @ContextConfiguration
 @RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
 public class StepScopeIntegrationTests {
-	
+
 	@Autowired
 	@Qualifier("vanilla")
 	private Step vanilla;
-	
+
 	@Autowired
 	@Qualifier("proxied")
 	private Step proxied;
 
+	@Autowired
+	@Qualifier("nested")
+	private Step nested;
+
 	@Autowired
 	@Qualifier("enhanced")
 	private Step enhanced;
@@ -46,31 +49,47 @@ public class StepScopeIntegrationTests {
 		StepSynchronizationManager.close();
 		TestStep.reset();
 	}
-		
+
 	@Test
 	public void testScopeCreation() throws Exception {
-		vanilla.execute(new StepExecution("foo",new JobExecution(11L),12L));
+		vanilla.execute(new StepExecution("foo", new JobExecution(11L), 12L));
 		assertNotNull(TestStep.getContext());
 		assertNull(StepSynchronizationManager.getContext());
 	}
 
 	@Test
 	public void testScopedProxy() throws Exception {
-		proxied.execute(new StepExecution("foo",new JobExecution(11L),31L));
-		assertTrue(TestStep.getContext().attributeNames().length>0);
+		proxied.execute(new StepExecution("foo", new JobExecution(11L), 31L));
+		assertTrue(TestStep.getContext().attributeNames().length > 0);
 		String collaborator = (String) TestStep.getContext().getAttribute("collaborator");
 		assertNotNull(collaborator);
 		assertEquals("bar", collaborator);
+		assertTrue("Scoped proxy not created", ((String) TestStep.getContext().getAttribute("collaborator.class"))
+				.startsWith("class $Proxy"));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testNestedScopedProxy() throws Exception {
+		nested.execute(new StepExecution("foo", new JobExecution(11L), 31L));
+		assertTrue(TestStep.getContext().attributeNames().length > 0);
+		String collaborator = (String) TestStep.getContext().getAttribute("collaborator");
+		assertNotNull(collaborator);
+		assertEquals("foo", collaborator);
+		String parent = (String) TestStep.getContext().getAttribute("parent");
+		assertNotNull(parent);
+		assertEquals("bar", parent);
+		assertTrue("Scoped proxy not created", ((String) TestStep.getContext().getAttribute("parent.class"))
+				.startsWith("class $Proxy"));
 	}
 
 	@Test
 	public void testExecutionContext() throws Exception {
-		StepExecution stepExecution = new StepExecution("foo",new JobExecution(11L), 1L);
+		StepExecution stepExecution = new StepExecution("foo", new JobExecution(11L), 1L);
 		ExecutionContext executionContext = new ExecutionContext();
 		executionContext.put("name", "spam");
 		stepExecution.setExecutionContext(executionContext);
 		proxied.execute(stepExecution);
-		assertTrue(TestStep.getContext().attributeNames().length>0);
+		assertTrue(TestStep.getContext().attributeNames().length > 0);
 		String collaborator = (String) TestStep.getContext().getAttribute("collaborator");
 		assertNotNull(collaborator);
 		assertEquals("bar", collaborator);
@@ -78,8 +97,8 @@ public class StepScopeIntegrationTests {
 
 	@Test
 	public void testScopedProxyForReference() throws Exception {
-		enhanced.execute(new StepExecution("foo",new JobExecution(11L),123L));
-		assertTrue(TestStep.getContext().attributeNames().length>0);
+		enhanced.execute(new StepExecution("foo", new JobExecution(11L), 123L));
+		assertTrue(TestStep.getContext().attributeNames().length > 0);
 		String collaborator = (String) TestStep.getContext().getAttribute("collaborator");
 		assertNotNull(collaborator);
 		assertEquals("bar", collaborator);
@@ -87,8 +106,8 @@ public class StepScopeIntegrationTests {
 
 	@Test
 	public void testScopedProxyForSecondReference() throws Exception {
-		doubleEnhanced.execute(new StepExecution("foo",new JobExecution(11L),321L));
-		assertTrue(TestStep.getContext().attributeNames().length>0);
+		doubleEnhanced.execute(new StepExecution("foo", new JobExecution(11L), 321L));
+		assertTrue(TestStep.getContext().attributeNames().length > 0);
 		String collaborator = (String) TestStep.getContext().getAttribute("collaborator");
 		assertNotNull(collaborator);
 		assertEquals("bar", collaborator);
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/TestStep.java b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/TestStep.java
index 11c42d921..a9bb84ebf 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/TestStep.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/TestStep.java
@@ -33,8 +33,12 @@ public class TestStep implements Step {
 
 	private void setContextFromCollaborator() {
 		if (context != null) {
-			String name = collaborator.getName();
-			context.setAttribute("collaborator", name);
+			context.setAttribute("collaborator", collaborator.getName());
+			context.setAttribute("collaborator.class", collaborator.getClass().toString());
+			if (collaborator.getParent()!=null) {
+				context.setAttribute("parent", collaborator.getParent().getName());
+				context.setAttribute("parent.class", collaborator.getParent().getClass().toString());
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/StepScopeIntegrationTests-context.xml b/spring-batch-core/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/StepScopeIntegrationTests-context.xml
index 2d4a47900..dc92521e1 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/StepScopeIntegrationTests-context.xml
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/core/scope/StepScopeIntegrationTests-context.xml
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
-<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
-	xmlns:aop="http://www.springframework.org/schema/aop" xmlns:tx="http://www.springframework.org/schema/tx"
-	xmlns:p="http://www.springframework.org/schema/p" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
+<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans" xmlns:aop="http://www.springframework.org/schema/aop"
+	xmlns:tx="http://www.springframework.org/schema/tx" xmlns:p="http://www.springframework.org/schema/p" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
 	xsi:schemaLocation="
 		http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd
 		http://www.springframework.org/schema/aop http://www.springframework.org/schema/aop/spring-aop.xsd
@@ -17,13 +16,25 @@
 
 	<bean id="proxied" class="org.springframework.batch.core.scope.TestStep">
 		<property name="collaborator">
-			<bean class="org.springframework.batch.core.scope.TestCollaborator"
-				scope="step">
+			<bean class="org.springframework.batch.core.scope.TestCollaborator" scope="step">
 				<property name="name" value="bar" />
 			</bean>
 		</property>
 	</bean>
 
+	<bean id="nested" class="org.springframework.batch.core.scope.TestStep">
+		<property name="collaborator">
+			<bean class="org.springframework.batch.core.scope.TestCollaborator">
+				<property name="name" value="foo" />
+				<property name="parent">
+					<bean class="org.springframework.batch.core.scope.TestCollaborator" scope="step">
+						<property name="name" value="bar" />
+					</bean>
+				</property>
+			</bean>
+		</property>
+	</bean>
+
 	<bean id="enhanced" class="org.springframework.batch.core.scope.TestStep">
 		<property name="collaborator" ref="collaborator" />
 	</bean>
@@ -32,8 +43,7 @@
 		<property name="collaborator" ref="collaborator" />
 	</bean>
 
-	<bean id="collaborator" class="org.springframework.batch.core.scope.TestCollaborator"
-		scope="step">
+	<bean id="collaborator" class="org.springframework.batch.core.scope.TestCollaborator" scope="step">
 		<property name="name" value="bar" />
 	</bean>