Whereas a program may implement classes, which typically end in objects managing or executing behaviors, a business object usually does nothing itself but holds a set of instance variables or properties, also known as attributes, and associations with other business objects, weaving a map of objects representing the business relationships.
A domain model where business objects do not have behaviour is called an anemic domain model.
Business objects separate state from behavior because they are communicated across the tiers in a multi-tiered system, while the real work of the application is done in the business tier and does not move across the tiers.